After Isis hauled him back into the upper cavern, Altaïr looked more than a little disheveled.
Her method had been fast, but it had also been rather violent. If he had not reacted quickly and released his grip on the rock face in time, he would probably have slammed headfirst into the cave entrance.
"Are you all right?" The sight of Altaïr returning safely brought Isis a sigh of relief. Smoke still curled from the muzzle of her Gunlance as she quickly folded and stowed it, then hurried over to him.
Altaïr could not relax as she had. He scrambled to his feet. "Quick, we have to go! This layer of rock won't hold it!"
Isis understood immediately.
Star Jasmine had most likely fallen into the lower cavern because the Monster had collapsed the ground there.
If it had brought the ground down once, it could certainly do so again...
As if to prove them right, the floor of their cavern began to shake violently. Cracks spread across it like a spiderweb.
The Hunters did not dare hesitate. They broke into a full sprint.
Boom!
A massive black-and-gold spiral horn punched through the spot where they had just been standing.
As the colossal beast tried to break through the rock layer, it destroyed what little stability remained in the fractured floor. The surrounding rock walls began to collapse as well.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tons of stone thundered down, driving the black-and-gold Flying Wyvern back into the depths just as it was about to burst out of the lower cavern.
"Gaaahhh!!"
Stone tumbled and dust billowed as the Monster's furious, unwilling roar echoed endlessly through the cave.
Even after the commotion behind them had faded into the distance, the Hunters did not dare stop to rest. They retraced their route as fast as their legs could carry them.
Only when they burst onto the surface and the bright sunlight dazzled their eyes did they finally breathe long sighs of relief.
"Damn!" Still badly shaken, Kagetsu flung her arms about. "That horn missed me by three meters at most... No, two! I almost got skewered!"
"That's what you get for being slow to react, meow..." Sajji said.
"Who knew that thing would smash through the rock and come charging out?! Anyway, we're safe now, right? It won't chase us onto the surface, will it?"
"We should be safe." Altaïr leaned against the huge boulder beside the cave entrance, breathing heavily. "Its eyes have completely degenerated. The creature is totally blind. It could only have ended up that way by fully adapting to the lightless depths. Just as a Tigrex won't chase prey into the water, it probably won't venture onto the surface."
"Good, good..."
Once he caught his breath, Altaïr looked around for Star Jasmine.
They had risked a great deal to rescue him. The last thing they wanted was for him to run off and get lost again.
Altaïr soon spotted the Uruki hopping around beneath the small flower-ball token Isis had hung above the cave entrance, trying to reach it.
Star Jasmine was covered in wounds of every size. His fur was matted, his body gaunt, and his eyes so deeply sunken that he looked ready to drop dead at any moment, yet he remained in a frenzy of excitement.
His excitement was understandable, though...
Altaïr took down the flower ball for him and placed it in his hand. "Can you speak the common language?"
"A... little." Star Jasmine nodded. "Before... I helped someone care for plants. Learned... from them."
Much like Honeysuckle, he spoke haltingly and sometimes jumbled his word order, but they could understand him well enough.
"Honeysuckle asked us to find you. She was trapped underground for months before we rescued her and brought her back to Mangrove Outpost. She's doing well now.
"Oh, right. Your child was born too. Her name is Alfalfa, I think. She's a girl, and she's perfectly healthy."
Altaïr knew what Star Jasmine wanted to ask, so he blurted everything out before the Uruki could say a word.
Star Jasmine's eyes widened. He had wanted to ask about them ever since Kagetsu rescued him, but he had never found the chance. Now Altaïr had dropped one piece of good news after another on him, and the overwhelming joy went straight to his head. His eyes rolled back, and he toppled over stiff as a board.
Everyone jumped in alarm. They crowded around to examine him and only relaxed once they confirmed that Star Jasmine had merely fainted.
After a moment's thought, Altaïr hoisted Star Jasmine, who seemed unlikely to wake anytime soon, onto his shoulder. Then he and his companions returned to the Uruki's home in the valley.
Whether it would help or not, Altaïr forced half a bottle of Potion down his throat, tossed him into his flower basket, and considered the treatment complete.
Star Jasmine had spent months burrowing underground and facing untold dangers. Before the Hunters arrived, that terrifying black-and-gold Flying Wyvern had even pursued him for quite some time without catching him. His resilience was extraordinary.
Now that he had finally escaped danger and heard the good news about his partner's safety and their child's birth, surely someone that tough was not about to literally die of joy.
Star Jasmine regained consciousness far sooner than Altaïr expected. Altaïr had assumed he would be out until at least the following morning, yet before the sky had even grown fully dark, the Uruki sprang from the tattered flower basket serving as his bed.
The moment he opened his eyes, Star Jasmine thought he was dreaming. Then he saw the little flower ball still in his hand and the Hunters sitting around a fire inside the cave, and at last he realized it was all real.
Overcome with excitement, Star Jasmine began hopping around the campfire until Altaïr caught him and held him still.
"All right, I know you're happy. Eat a little more first, then rest for another couple of days and recover your strength. We still have a long journey ahead. Mangrove Outpost is several days from here, over mountains and across rivers."
"I'm... fine! When... can we leave?" Star Jasmine's round eyes seemed to sparkle.
He could hardly wait to see Honeysuckle and their child. He had originally wanted to name the little one Lily of the Valley, because he and Honeysuckle both loved those small white flowers.
But Alfalfa was a good name too! The plant was tough and hardy, able to thrive in even the tiniest patch of soil, making it a fitting namesake for a child who had survived and flourished deep underground!
Altaïr had always heard that Uruki possessed some ability to tug at the heartstrings. He had never quite understood what that meant, but with Star Jasmine gazing up at him through watery eyes, he nearly blurted, "We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Fortunately, he caught himself just in time.
"We still have some business to take care of in this valley, so we'll probably need another day or two." Altaïr gestured for Star Jasmine to be patient. "Do you know of any exposed ore deposits in this valley or nearby?"
"Ore... deposits?" Star Jasmine tilted his head, unsure what the term meant.
Kagetsu hurriedly explained, "Places where you can mine!"
Of the three Hunters, she was the most enthusiastic about mining.
At last, Star Jasmine understood. He waved his claws and said, "In the canyon... there used to be many. Some ore was just... lying on the ground. But after the canyon collapsed... I have not gone back to look."
He scratched his head sheepishly, as though ashamed that he could not be more helpful to the Hunters.
"But around the canyon... there should still be a few places. I can take you there."
Altaïr nodded.
That was enough. To be honest, he had no desire to make that much noise inside the canyon while searching for ore deposits.
The deep cavern lay far below, and sound probably would not carry all the way down. But what if it did? What if they provoked that black-and-gold Flying Wyvern underground...
Then again, a part of him genuinely wanted a proper rematch.
Since arriving on Tidal Island, Altaïr had encountered several powerful Monsters, but that black-and-gold Flying Wyvern was the only one that had forced him to rack his brains just to escape.
If he wanted to grow stronger quickly, he needed that kind of pressure...
Clap!
Isis clapped her hands sharply right in front of his face.
She knew Altaïr too well. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but his expression alone told her he was considering something reckless...
Jolted from his thoughts, Altaïr gave a dry laugh and returned his attention to the ore. "Besides those mining sites, we're looking for a vermilion-colored ore.
"That kind of ore normally appears only deep within the Great Volcano. It may have reached this area during an eruption or in a lava flow. Do you know where we can find any?"
Star Jasmine blinked, ran to the flower basket he used as a bag, and rummaged through it. He pulled out a palm-sized chunk of vermilion ore with sharp, angular edges.
"This... kind?"
"That's it!" Kagetsu leaned in until her face was right beside Star Jasmine's. "I heard this can only be mined deep inside the Great Volcano. You really have it here too?"
"There is some, but not in the... valley. I can take you to find it."
Kagetsu clenched her fist. "Each chunk of Eltalite Ore is worth at least 1,280z... Here I come!"