"Gah...!"
Along the wave-crashed bay, the dark blue-scaled Piscine Wyvern monster screeched and opened its mouth wide.
A water blade formed from compressed high-pressure water jets shot out, sweeping across toward the hunter in front of it as it swung its head.
Even though it was just ordinary river water, the water blade formed under the compression of the monster's powerful muscles possessed extraordinary destructive power. A direct hit could slice a person in half; even with sturdy armor protection, it would inflict severe damage instantly.
This was the signature move of the monster named Plesioth (the Water Wyvern), the water breath attack.
"Stand behind me!"
Isis shouted as she slammed down her shield, lowering her center of gravity while tilting the shield surface backward to create a massive angle of nearly sixty degrees.
This could effectively deflect the impact while increasing the armor thickness in the horizontal direction, greatly reducing the risk of the shield being pierced by the breath attack.
"Sssss...!"
The water blade swept past, landing on that large shield made of alloy, emitting a sharp sound like metal blades scraping against each other.
A straight white mark was left on the shield surface. Under the powerful impact, Isis, along with her shield, slid backward several meters, but her defensive posture remained stable, the shield stood steady without shaking.
Just as the water breath attack finished sweeping and hadn't fully subsided, Altaïr dashed out from behind the solid "cover" his teammate had formed with her body, rushing toward the opponent not far away.
Like armor, the layered, resilient scales gave the Plesioth strong resistance against cutting attacks. To ensure attack effectiveness, Altaïr directly ducked under the Plesioth's body, targeting its relatively weaker abdominal defenses.
"Zzzzap!"
Among the crackling arcs of electricity, a sharp blade forged from Khezu materials combined with various metals, named "Eager Cleaver," shot out from its sheath.
As the hunter struck with high-speed slashes, the electrical currents entwined around the blade grew increasingly bright. The continuously released currents penetrated the Plesioth's scales and skin, reaching its internal organs, causing it to emit painful screeches of agony.
The Plesioth lowered its head, attempting to bite at that agile, slippery fellow beneath it. Just then, a bowgun arrow resembling a harpoon, about the thickness of a human's arm but much smaller than a normal harpoon, shot forth.
The arrow deeply penetrated the gap between the scales on the Plesioth's head; its sharp barb firmly lodged it into the Plesioth's flesh.
As the Plesioth swung its head, the rope connected behind the arrow instantly tightened, preventing it from lowering its head to bite the hunter beneath.
"Success, meow!"
Sajji jumped up, dropped the portable binder launcher "Rakna-Kadaki No. 2" in his hands, and turned to run.
The other end of the steel cable had already been firmly anchored underground with stakes. Considering portability and convenience, the rope and stakes used by Rakna-Kadaki No. 2 weren't as sturdy as those of a real Heavy Ballista.
Not only could giant monsters with equally astonishing size and strength break free easily, even a Piscine Wyvern like the Plesioth managed to break free within just three to four seconds.
But for hunters, this time was enough.
Seizing the opportunity, Altaïr completed his charge and swung his sword, flashing past between the Plesioth's legs. The Eager Cleaver, wrapped with Spirit aura, severed the tendons in the Plesioth's legs.
Under intense pain, the Plesioth, which wasn't very adept at land movement anyway, cried out in agony and tumbled to the ground.
"Hahhh!"
Isis certainly wouldn't let go of such a great attacking opportunity. She rushed to the front of the Plesioth's head first, smashing, shelling, Wyrmstake Cannon, a barrage of attacks landed on the Plesioth's head.
Following that was her favorite part: with a full thrust, the Gunlance deeply inserted into the monster's mouth, then detonated Wyvern's Fire.
The erupting explosion blasted the Plesioth's gums into fragments.
At the same time, a figure enveloped in blood-red battle aura emerged from underground.
"Meow...!!"
Clawdia, who had activated Beast Mode, dived head-first into the Plesioth's mouth. Two steel claw blades swung leaving afterimages; blood and minced flesh sprayed uncontrollably from the Plesioth's mouth.
Clawdia, whose fur was already soaked through with blood, didn't care at all, seemingly intent on diving straight into its belly, tearing out its heart directly, relentlessly burrowing deeper into the Plesioth's throat.
Under the group's assault, this poor Plesioth never managed to get up from the ground again until it breathed its last.
Clawdia tore an opening from deep within the Plesioth's throat and crawled out. That horrifying scene startled Altaïr, who was just preparing to carve.
"You aren't afraid the monster might chew you up and swallow you?" Altaïr put down the Carving Knife and said helplessly.
"Isis wouldn't let the monster chew on me, meow." Clawdia, her face covered in blood, licked her claws and glanced sideways at him. "Even if swallowed, I wouldn't be afraid, meow. I'd tear open its belly and crawl out, meow."
Isis walked over, washing a wound on Clawdia's back with Potion, that injury was caused when the latter dove into the Plesioth's mouth and was scratched by the Plesioth's sharp teeth.
"Don't do this again next time, okay? It's easy to get injured." After simple treatment and bandaging, Isis rubbed Clawdia's head and said.
"Okay, meow~" Clawdia nuzzled against Isis's palm, an attitude completely different from when facing Altaïr.
Altaïr grinned and continued carving.
None of them had any need for the Plesioth materials, but they could still sell them to the Guild for some money.
Moreover, he was also considering whether to craft a pair of Dual Blades from this Plesioth's materials. Though he mostly used the Long Sword for hunting, there were occasional exceptions.
Plus, the Plesioth dual blades were among the best water element weapons one could obtain at the 3★ stage. Regardless of future use, "collecting" a set wasn't a loss.
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After completing the carving work, the two humans and two Palicos embarked on their return journey.
Finally, after dusk fell, they returned to that small fishing village located on the southwest shore of the inland sea, at the edge of Old Jungle.
The one who commissioned them to hunt the Plesioth was the village elder of this fishing village.
More than a month ago, that intruding Plesioth occupied their precious fishing grounds, their lifeline. For everyone's livelihood, it had to be dealt with or driven away.
There was a village Hunter in this small village, but that hunter was nearly sixty years old, and his hunter rank was only 2★, truly incapable of handling that huge monster whose body length alone approached twenty meters.
Helplessly, the village elder was preparing to go to the nearest city to seek help from the Guild. Just then, Altaïr and his companion happened to pass by nearby, so they took on the commission.
When they returned to the village, that elderly village elder was pacing anxiously at the village entrance.
In his view, those two hunters seemed far too young, even younger than his granddaughter; was it really alright?
"Village elder!" To not frighten the old man, Altaïr called out from quite far away.
Hearing the noise, the old village elder hurriedly ran over.
"Are you all alright..."
As soon as he spoke, his eyes widened, staring at the huge "fin" in Isis's hand. "Is that..."
"The target has been dealt with."
Altaïr smiled and said: "The corpse is over by the bay. I hear Plesioth meat is pretty good. To avoid wasting it, best arrange people to dissect the corpse quickly, bring back usable meat and items."
The old man stood stunned for two seconds; disbelief on his face gradually transformed into joy. He first apologized to the hunters, then trotted back into the village to share this good news with everyone.
Soon, the fishermen's delighted cheers and the torches in their hands lit up the night sky.
The men took fish-splitting knives, iron hooks, and simple carts, led by that old hunter, heading toward the bay overnight.
Women, children, and elders gathered around them, preparing the celebratory feast; thanks and gratitude never stopped.
The old village elder came over carrying two coarse cloth money bags, "Thanks to you promptly dealing with that Plesioth, we won't miss this fishing season. The Plesioth corpse can greatly ease the village's food pressure too. We truly don't know how to thank you enough.
Our village doesn't have anything impressive to offer; everyone hastily gathered some extra reward, please don't disdain it."
Altaïr and Isis exchanged glances. Checking the amount inside the money bags, Altaïr pushed one bag back, "Just our duty; the original payment is enough."
Isis also cheerfully said beside him: "Extra rewards or such, we can't accept, you know. That violates Guild regulations.
If the Guild finds out, they'd send very scary people to discipline us."
"This..."
Sajji helped push, sending off the village elder who still wanted to say something.
Isis picked up Clawdia, happily saying: "Hehe, I'll write a letter to Francesca to tell her I can deceive people now!"
(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
Plesioth — A Piscine Wyvern that inhabits coastal and aquatic environments. Renowned for its powerful water breath attack and its devastating hip-check move, it is considered one of the more frustrating monsters to fight due to its tendency to retreat into the water mid-battle. Its long neck and heavily scaled body make it a formidable opponent despite being classified as a mid-rank threat.
CLASSIFICATIONS
Piscine Wyvern — A suborder of wyverns adapted primarily for aquatic or semi-aquatic life. Unlike Flying Wyverns, Piscine Wyverns have lost the use of their forelimbs as wings, instead developing powerful fins or limbs suited for swimming or burrowing. They tend to dominate rivers, coastlines, and desert sands. Examples include Plesioth, Cephadrome, and Jyuratodus.