Using bait to lure out a monster is a relatively common tactic for Hunters.
The problem is that this tactic is not entirely controllable; it is difficult to guarantee that the scent of blood will draw the specific monster you want, rather than a solitary wandering Jaggi or a ravenous Deviljho.
The approach taken by the boy named Archi was quite clever, likely something his father had specifically taught him.
By hanging the Mosswine from a tree, smaller monsters like Jaggi couldn't reach it, and since this area was already very close to the Nerscylla's den, part of the Nerscylla's core territory, the probability of other monsters intruding was not particularly high.
Luring the Nerscylla away in this manner and then rushing into the den to save someone could be considered a reliable strategy with a high success rate.
However, all of this relied on one premise: that there was only one Nerscylla in the den.
The information regarding the possible presence of two Nerscylla nearby was an analysis provided by the scholars of the Metapetatto Guild; a boy from a mountain village would naturally have no way of knowing.
If he were to rashly charge in the moment he saw a Nerscylla leave, and there happened to be a second one inside, he would run straight into it.
"Meow?!"
Sajji's ears twitched. He quickly pressed himself to the dirt, placing an ear against the ground to listen. "A large monster is coming, meow! The vibrations of the footsteps are very rapid and light; it must be the Nerscylla, meow!"
Altaïr thought quickly. His objective had always been clear: prioritize the rescue.
If there was only one Nerscylla in the den, then with the monster heading this way, the boy would be safe. If there were two, there was no point in him staying here to become entangled with the one about to arrive.
He couldn't engage.
Having made his decision, Altaïr quickly pulled a Ghillie Mantle from his gear and threw it over himself.
This special equipment, which helped Hunters blend into the environment and even masked their scent, originated from the Research Commission in the New World. It had been popularized across the Old World in recent years and was a very convenient tool carried by many Hunters.
Donning the Ghillie Mantle, Altaïr quickly said to Sajji, "You stay. Find a way to lure the Nerscylla away, the further the better. Remember to use a Paintball."
"Understood, meow!" Sajji nodded vigorously.
If Sajji could lead one Nerscylla away, Altaïr could rush to the den. Whether or not a second one existed inside, he would be able to handle it.
Altaïr took a few quick strides, vanished into a nearby thicket of dense shrubs, and lay low, suppressing his presence.
Sajji remained in place, on high alert.
Rustle, rustle...
A sound distinct from that of usual large monsters drifted from the depths of the forest shadows. But suddenly, the noise vanished completely, and the surroundings became unsettlingly quiet.
This anomaly confused Sajji for a moment. With his back against a massive tree, he unsheathed his rarely used Felyne Sword and warily scanned the area.
The Nerscylla earned its reputation as the "Assassin in the Shadows," specializing in silent ambushes. The disappearance of sound likely meant it had entered an attacking state.
From underground? Unlikely; records never mentioned the Nerscylla having the ability to burrow. That meant it was coming from above.
Sajji looked up, his gaze scanning the high forest canopy.
Suddenly, his eyes met several spots of glowing blue light. After a brief moment of shock, he realized those were the monster's eyes.
Shuuu...
A mass of white, sticky matter erupted from the canopy. Sajji's reaction was swift; he immediately leaped to the side, letting the white projectile miss its mark and pelt the trunk of the massive tree behind him.
Is that... spider silk, meow?!
The silk stuck to his previous position suddenly pulled taut, as if under immense tension. Sensing danger, Sajji scurried around the trunk of the giant tree, which was a good two or three meters thick, to take cover.
An instant later, a colossal dark shadow swept in at high speed, pulled along by the silk, and slammed into the tree with a heavy thud.
The great tree shook violently. The dark figure dropped to the base of the trunk, its scythe-sharp limbs slicing through the bark with ease, leaving deep, jagged gashes.
"Meow!" Having successfully evaded the ambush, Sajji hopped out from behind the tree and let out a series of provocative screeches at the monster.
—--
Hiding in the shadows, Altaïr was also observing the beast.
Its body length wasn't exaggerated, about eight or nine meters, but its limbs were compact. Unlike many Bird Wyverns or Flying Wyverns, its tail didn't account for a third of its total length.
At first glance, it appeared pitch black, but closer inspection revealed its carapace was a pale grey, like sun-bleached bone. The "dark shadow" impression came from the layers of blackish-purple hide draped over its body.
That was the skin of a Gypceros.
Its attack having missed, the Nerscylla's six legs blurred as it turned with incredible speed. Its triangular head tilted left and right, inspecting the furry prey before it.
Seems a bit small. Might not be enough to eat.
As for the dying Mosswine hanging from the tree, the monster didn't give it a second look; Nerscylla do not eat carrion.
Seeing that the Nerscylla seemed uninterested in him, Sajji pulled out a Paintball and smashed it right into the monster's face. He then turned around, stuck out his backside, and gave it a few mocking slaps.
"Come and get me, meow!" Then, he bolted.
The Nerscylla froze for several seconds until the pungent juice of the Paintball dripped from its head into its mandibles.
A red glint flashed through its eight brilliant, blue-crystal eyes. The Nerscylla let out a piercing screech, spat a line of silk, and swung through the giant trees in pursuit.
"Boss, I've lured it away, meow! Good luck, meow!" Sajji's voice drifted back from the distance.
Altaïr didn't move. He remained stationary for nearly half a minute. Only after confirming the Nerscylla had chased Sajji far away did he leap from the bushes. Following the tracks left by the Nerscylla, he ran at top speed toward its den.
—--
At that same moment, having slipped into the Nerscylla Den, Archi was running around frantically like a headless fly.
The geography of this underground cavern was far more complex than he had imagined. Having ducked into two different tunnels already without finding his target, he was consumed by anxiety.
Reason told him he should leave immediately. If the Nerscylla returned and trapped him inside the cave, it would be a certain death sentence.
But the image of his father lying in the next cavern, unable to move and waiting for rescue, kept swirling in his mind, making it impossible for him to resolve to turn back.
Wait, the silk! There was so much spider silk in the nest!
He had subconsciously avoided the areas thick with silk before, but thinking about it now, wasn't it only natural for a Nerscylla to seal its prey in silk to prevent escape?
Once he realized this, he bolted out of the empty cavern and followed the traces of silk along the walls. He soon arrived before a tunnel mouth that was firmly sealed by layer upon layer of overlapping silk.
He reached out, intending to tear the silk away, but he quickly realized this was an incredibly stupid idea.
This silk was nothing like the ordinary spiderwebs one usually saw; not only was it so sticky that it wouldn't come off his hands, but its tenacity was also staggering.
Even using every ounce of his strength, he could only manage to snap a single thin strand.
At this rate, there was no way he could break through the blockade in time!
Damn it, he hadn't brought a knife either. Anxious, Archi looked around for a wooden stick or some other tool, and the corner of his eye caught the hilts of the dual blades peeking out from behind his shoulder.
He was being an idiot, he had weapons right here!
Overjoyed, the boy pressed his palms against the rock wall to forcefully rub off the clinging silk, then drew the Kut-Ku Pair from his back and hacked two fierce strikes into the silk sealing the entrance.
The abstractly shaped blades struck the elastic silk, making it difficult to find leverage, but immediately afterward, sparks erupting from the blades ignited the webbing.
In the face of fire, these threads, far tougher than any ordinary rope, proved even more fragile than paper.
Whether it was because the silk contained flammable substances or something else, he didn't even need to keep swinging; the flames grew brighter and more intense, quickly incinerating the silk completely.
Ecstatic, Archi gripped the Kut-Ku Pair tightly and rushed into the cavern. He swung his blades whenever he saw silk, and the overlapping webs could no longer hinder him. Soon, he reached the inner depths of the cave.
Compared to the two empty caverns from before, this one was unexpectedly massive.
The ceiling was nearly twenty meters high, and objects of various sizes, wrapped in layers of silk like giant cocoons, dangled from the cavern roof.
The cocoon nearest to him suddenly twitched, giving him a massive fright.
After two seconds of stunned silence, he finally realized that these were the targets he was looking for.
Those ten-meter-long cocoons certainly weren't it; his gaze quickly landed on two cocoons that were nearly two meters long.
He sprinted over and sliced one open with the Kut-Ku Pair. Something tumbled to the ground, it was a person.
Archi hurriedly cleared away the obstructing silk to reveal the face.
It was a face as pale as a corpse's, and of course, he recognized it. If not for this fellow, his father wouldn't have risked venturing into a monster's nest.
Archi reached out a finger, intending to check the man's breath, but the moment his finger touched the skin, the person's flesh actually began to melt away like heated soft wax.
The scene before him made him gag. Stifling his nausea, he noticed that when the man hit the ground, his body had bent more than ninety degrees, as if even his bones had dissolved.
Without a doubt, this man was beyond saving.
Such a horrific sight made his breathing turn shallow and rapid. He looked toward the other cocoon with trepidation.
If nothing had gone wrong, his father was inside that one...
Taking several deep breaths to steady his emotions, he stepped forward and sliced the other cocoon open.
As expected, even without looking at the face, the build and the familiar armor told him all he needed to know; this was his father.
Despair filled his heart, yet he still raised his trembling hands to clear the silk covering his father's face.
"Huh?" The sensation against his hands made him pause.
Though somewhat cold, the texture was normal; it hadn't semi-liquefied like soft wax as the herder's flesh had.
Moreover, he felt a faint breath!
Wild joy surged through him as he rapidly cleared the silk from his father's body. Only then did he notice a fist-sized dent on the breastplate, as if it had been pierced by something sharp, but it hadn't been fully punctured. A small amount of foul-smelling, viscous liquid remained at the bottom of the indentation.
Had the armor blocked the injection of digestive fluids?
Forget it, the reason didn't matter, as long as his father was alive!
Archi hoisted his father onto his back and was about to bolt from this hellish cavern when he suddenly froze.
Countless eerie blue eyes emerged from the shadows, surrounding him on all sides.
Those were Nerscylla Hatchlings, small and large, in numbers beyond counting.
(Translated by yourtl.app)