Astera.
The sun shone at an angle as Dumpling sprinted toward the Smithy, a small pack slung over his back.
"Equipment! New gear, meow!" Dumpling's tail flicked to maintain his balance, his mouth grinning from ear to ear.
'I'm going to be the most stylish cat around!'
"Phew... phew... I'm here!" Dumpling landed a perfect front flip at the Smithy's entrance and slammed his small pack onto the workbench.
A few monster bones, ores, several Great Jagras hides, and a Great Jagras tooth tumbled out.
"Hey!" Dumpling hopped onto the counter. "Human, I want to craft some gear, meow."
The Second Fleet Master wasn't in the Smithy.
A young smith glanced at Dumpling and snorted. "A Felyne? Where's your master?"
Dumpling's white tail whipped against the counter with a loud crack. He glared with wide eyes. "I'm here representing myself today to forge gear, meow! I carved these materials myself—my work is precise, with clean edges. It's more orderly than your ironwork, meow!"
"Hmph, talk is cheap." The young smith stood with arms akimbo, looking at the pile of materials. "You want to craft gear without a hunter's permit? Do you even have the money?"
Dumpling's fur bristled in anger, his ears standing up like sharp triangles. "Meow-it-all! Someone will be here to pay. Are you taking the order or not?"
"Hey, hey, take it easy." An older Felyne poked his head out from the back. "Rules are rules. It's not that we're looking down on you, but without a hunter's signature, we don't dare touch the materials."
Hearing this, Dumpling was momentarily speechless. He curled into a ball, clutching his small pack, his tail drooping.
"I carved these materials so carefully... Why can't I make gear..."
Just as the atmosphere was sinking into a 'depressed kitty' funk, a familiar voice rang out.
"A hunter's signature? Do you mean this?" Leon walked in from the entrance, an application form in hand.
He was covered in bloodstains and mud, looking like a soldier fresh from the battlefield, yet his expression remained calm.
"Newbie!" The dejected look on Dumpling's face vanished instantly, replaced by a wide smile.
"He earned his new gear." Leon looked at Dumpling on the counter. "How about a set of Bone Palico armor to match mine?"
"Bone armor?!" Dumpling's eyes lit up, his tail wagging with excitement. "So cool! It has that 'cold-blooded hunter' vibe! Let's do it, meow!"
Leon nodded and handed the application to the young smith. "He's my partner. I'll cover the costs. Just get it done quickly."
"Al-alright... if you say so." The young smith stopped arguing, took the materials, and shouted an order, "We've got work! Prepare the molds!"
Since Palico equipment only consisted of a helm and a chestplate and the workmanship was relatively simple, it didn't take much time.
Several Felynes wearing aprons nimbly hopped onto the workbench, and the air filled with the rhythmic clinking of hammers.
In less than half an hour, a small set of Bone armor was finished.
"Come, come, try it on! Try it on!"
"Hee hee, here I come, meow!" Dumpling shot like an arrow, instantly lunging into the dressing room.
A few minutes later—
*Whoosh!*
The dressing room curtain was kicked open.
Dumpling strutted out with a deliberate catwalk.
However, he only had a scarf decorated with bones around his neck. The most prominent feature was the massive bone helmet, topped with two straight feathers.
"I'm drop-dead gorgeous, meow!" Dumpling struck a battle pose, then performed several side flips before landing steadily on the counter.
Everyone in the Smithy was dumbfounded.
A few Felynes huddled nearby, whispering, while Dumpling basked in the attention like a star on a red carpet.
"...Isn't that helmet a bit too big, meow?"
"I think those feathers are going to make him dizzy, meow."
"But... he seems really satisfied with it..."
Just then, the Smithy doors swung open with a thud, followed by a cheerful voice.
"Leon! So this is where you were!"
Flora, dressed in casual clothes, walked into the Smithy. Her brow was slightly furrowed as she held a parchment scroll, appearing to have just rushed over from the Gathering Hub.
She approached Leon, but when her gaze caught Dumpling striking poses, her eye twitched. "You... had new gear made for Dumpling?"
Leon nodded. "He's my partner. I wanted us to have a unified style."
"Don't you think the helmet is... a bit too big?" Flora's tone was filled with confusion and helplessness. To her, seeing such ill-fitting armor was pure torture.
"Being cool is the top priority, meow!" Dumpling snapped his head up, making the feathers on top quiver.
"Fine... alright. I won't stand in the way of a cat's dreams." Flora handed the scroll to Leon. "You need to finish your remaining two armor pieces quickly. I just received an emergency quest from the Gathering Hub."
"Oh? What quest?" Leon took the parchment and scanned it.
[QUEST NAME: THE GLUTTONS HAVE ARRIVED!]
[QUEST LEVEL: 2★]
[OBJECTIVE: HUNT 2 GREAT JAGRAS]
[REQUIRED ITEMS: DELIVER 2 GREAT JAGRAS TONGUES]
[LOCATION: ANCIENT FOREST, AREA 2]
[CLIENT: FIELD TEAM LEADER]
[QUEST DESCRIPTION: THIS INVESTIGATION TASK IS NOT HIGH IN DIFFICULTY. IT IS PERFECT FOR SOMEONE ABOUT TO BEGIN TOUGH INVESTIGATIONS OR SEEKING TO COMPLETE THEIR GEAR.]
[REWARD: 3240Z]
[TIME LIMIT: 3 DAYS]
Flora explained, "Two Great Jagras were found fighting over territory near the base. Three hunters have already been severely injured and sent back to camp. We need to go hunt them down."
"Two of them?" Leon raised an eyebrow.
"That's right." Flora nodded seriously. "Didn't you want a chance to practice? Well, here it is."
"Alright." Leon nodded and turned to the young smith. "I need Bone Vambraces and a Bone Coil. Please, as fast as possible!"
"Hey! You think this is a fast-food joint?" The young smith frowned. "You just submitted the application. Making these two pieces will take at least—"
"Get them done within a day." Flora interrupted him directly, slamming the parchment with the emergency quest details onto the counter. "Please cooperate."
The young smith's mouth twitched. "Fine. Since it's an emergency quest, we'll make it a priority..."
The Smithy immediately burst into activity.
Several smiths dropped what they were doing to help, and Felynes hopped onto the workbenches, skillfully setting up pots and stoking fires. The rhythmic clanging of forging filled the air.
Seeing this, Flora said, "We'll meet at the Smithy tomorrow morning. Go back and get some rest."
Leon nodded, scooped Dumpling up onto his shoulder, and said, "Let's go. We'll head back to the hut and set out for the hunt tomorrow."