Altaïr had already readied himself to launch a fierce assault as soon as the Lolo Gougarf fell.
Yet just as it lost its balance, the Lolo Gougarf suddenly raised one claw and shot out a strand of silk. The far end stuck to a nearby tree. Pulling against the silk, it twisted in midair and righted itself before it could topple.
All four limbs struck the ground. After skidding backward more than ten meters, the Lolo Gougarf finally bled off the tremendous momentum of its high-speed glide.
Disappointment spread across Altaïr's face.
If it had hit the ground hard, they would not even have needed to surround it and press the attack. The force of the crash alone would have been enough to finish it off.
After suffering several setbacks in a row, the unusually built Lolo Gougarf was not critically wounded, but fatigue was clearly setting in. Its breathing had grown noticeably heavier.
Its round, dark-gold pupils stared intently at the Hunters before it.
Aside from the opening barrage of Toxic Glowbug hives, its ambush had failed to harm any of the Hunters.
The only Hunter badly stung by the Toxic Glowbugs was Isis, but she had repaid it in kind. Even the sliding attack that had never failed it before had been countered immediately.
Its intelligence far surpassed that of an ordinary beast and even approached that of a Lynian. The Lolo Gougarf began to consider retreating.
It had more important things to do and could not afford to die to a few strange creatures it had never seen before.
Since they were so intent on following it, perhaps it could still put them to use...
Its eyes shifted as the Lolo Gougarf slowly backed away.
Morgan reloaded his Heavy Bowgun, ready to resume firing. Isis adjusted her stance as well, raising her Large Shield to rejoin the fight.
Altaïr suddenly raised one hand, signaling them to stop and remain alert.
Isis and Morgan were puzzled, but Altaïr was the captain of their investigation team, so they followed his lead. Morgan lowered his muzzle slightly, while Isis rested her weapon's blade and barrel on the ground.
None of them, Altaïr included, sheathed their weapons. The three stood in silence, warily watching the Lolo Gougarf retreat.
To the Lolo Gougarf, the Hunters' actions sent a very clear signal.
It quickened its retreat. Once it had opened a safe distance, it suddenly turned and sprinted forward, then leaped into the canopy of a mangrove tree. A few swings and bounds later, it vanished from sight.
The Hunters kept their guard up where they stood. Only after more than a minute had passed did they gradually relax.
"Are we just letting that thing go?" Morgan asked, turning toward Altaïr as he worked the bolt and ejected the round chambered in his Bowgun to prevent an accidental discharge.
Altaïr sheathed his Long Sword. "Yes. We didn't come out here to hunt that creature. Our purpose was to use it to uncover more clues."
"You've all seen how strong that Lolo Gougarf is. Bringing it down would take considerable effort, and there's no real need."
Isis walked over with a dismissive huff. "It's lucky it ran so quickly, or I'd have planted a few Wyrmstake Cannons in its head!"
Under the combined effects of an Antidote, a Potion, and Lifepowder, the egg-sized welts on Isis's face and body had finally gone down considerably, though they would still take time to disappear completely.
Her entire face was still far puffier than usual, making her look as though she had suddenly gained dozens of kilograms. Altaïr had to fight to keep his laughter from showing.
The amusement in his eyes was impossible to hide, however. Isis caught it and angrily punched him in the chest.
A muffled thud sounded, and Altaïr staggered back half a step. His chest armor absorbed the blow, but the impact still left his chest feeling tight.
Altaïr raised both hands in surrender with a wry smile.
Morgan turned away and silently backed several paces from the pair. To him, they seemed to be flirting, and Isis had clearly held back.
The sight of Isis knocking aside the Lolo Gougarf's enormous claw with a single swing earlier had left a deep impression on him.
If he laughed now and Isis grew angry enough to hit him that hard, wouldn't a man of his build go flying?
Just then, a rumble rose from the forest. The Hunters tensed instinctively, then quickly relaxed.
They recognized it as the sound of a Rathalos cannon cart's treads rolling over fallen leaves and tree roots at high speed.
Sajji came into view, pedaling the Rathalos cannon cart at full speed.
Truthfully, it was not moving very fast.
Altaïr was momentarily speechless. No wonder Sajji had been nowhere in sight since the fighting began. He must have gone back for the cannon cart.
On reflection, Altaïr could not blame him. Sajji's entire fighting style depended on machinery, and all his rocket launchers and other equipment were stored on the cannon cart.
When the battle began, Sajji had turned around to retrieve the cart. What had looked like an absurd decision was actually unavoidable.
Sajji, drenched in sweat, stared at the scene before him. "It's over already, meow?"
"Yeah, it got away, meow. You'll need to get airborne again soon to keep tracking it, meow," Clawdia said, looking up from polishing her steel claws. "We can't bring the cannon cart with us while we're tracking it, meow.
"So we'll leave it here for now, meow. When we need it, you can run back and fetch it, meow."
"Meow, meow!" Sajji grumbled in frustration.
Unless he managed to make the Rathalos Series fly one day, awkward trips back and forth like this would probably remain a common occurrence.
The Hunters sharpened their weapons, replenished their Ammo, and ate some jerky while taking a short rest.
Morgan switched magazines, thought for a moment, then crafted a few extra Poison Smoke Bombs just in case.
As he handed the Poison Smoke Bombs to his companions, Morgan asked, "So, are we going to keep tracking that Lolo Gougarf?"
He hesitated for several seconds before continuing, "Could this be a trap? I know it sounds strange for a Monster to set a trap for Hunters.
"But... you saw it too. That thing is intelligent, and the look in its eyes before it left reminded me of him."
Morgan pointed at Hakucho, who was crouched beside him and stealing jerky from his pack.
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Altaïr nodded. "That thing is no pushover, but there's no way it's the culprit behind the abnormal Monster migration in the Mangrove Forest.
"It might have scared off something like a Yian Kut-Ku, but a Rathalos would not be so easily intimidated.
"Still, it probably knows something. Why else would it return here alone when every other Monster in the area was fleeing?
"Let's make some educated guesses.
"The depths of the Mangrove Forest are traditional Lolo Gougarf habitat. It may have returned to reclaim its territory, only to discover that it could not defeat whatever is behind all this.
"Then it encountered us. Given its intelligence, perhaps it intends to lead us to that unidentified Monster."
"Isn't that perfect?" Isis rubbed her swollen eyes.
"Chasing it now is too risky. We still know nothing about whatever is behind all this." Altaïr pulled out his notebook. "I suggest we turn back first.
"We'll investigate the two places where we noticed that strange stench earlier. We may find some crucial clues.
"As for the Lolo Gougarf, let it wait. If it grows impatient, it may come looking for us on its own."
After checking the locations marked in his earlier notes, Altaïr snapped the notebook shut with a sharp clap.
"If we're after the same goal, cooperating would be ideal. But as for who takes the lead... we'll have to 'discuss' that first."
(Translated by yourtl.app)