Luring the Metakentos
At the entrance to Antico that bordered the Forest of Illusion, an unusually large crowd had gathered today.
Besides me, Fiore, and Pina, survey hunters had also assembled for the capture request. Six of them in total. They appeared dragging a large cart fitted with oversized wheels. Judging by the fact that none carried weapons, they were clearly not combat types. Instead they wore light, well-ventilated clothing and packs slung over their backs.
We waited a short while until the survey hunters finished their preparations.
“F-Fiore-nim. Please take care of us.”
“Let us return safely, one and all.”
“Yes!”
In the meantime the survey hunters approached Fiore one by one, offering awkward greetings. I had accepted the request, yet somehow Fiore was drawing far more attention than I was. She had arrived fully armed, unlike her usual self. Her weapon and armor were fashioned from materials superior to mine, most of them taken from high-grade monsters—proof enough that she was a Master.
Even if I was a rising light, compared to Master Hunter Fiore I was nothing more than a tiny flicker.
I watched Fiore converse with the survey hunters for a moment, then shifted my gaze toward Pina.
“Pina, everything packed?”
“Yes, of course.”
Pina listed off every item she had brought, chattering away one by one. The way she rattled on was rather cute, and the fact that she had gathered so much on her own was genuinely impressive. Her sense of responsibility shone through in how well she managed without my help. She was clearly used to this sort of work.
“Good job.”
I ruffled her hair. When I gently scratched at her fluffy brown curls, Pina looked up at me with an embarrassed expression. Maybe I was treating her too much like a child, but she really was still young. At an age hungry for praise and affection.
“Well done. From here on out, just trust me.”
“I always do.”
Pina tossed out the bashful words as if they were nothing. Did that mean she trusted me that much? Now it was my job to answer that faith properly.
While we exchanged glances, Fiore approached and spoke.
“Alice, the capture team’s preparations are complete. We may depart whenever you are ready.”
“Got it. Then let’s go as planned.”
“Understood.”
Fiore nodded. We left Antico behind and stepped into the Forest of Illusion.
Pina and I set out first. Fiore traveled with the survey hunters in case monsters appeared unexpectedly. She would join us only after a safe base camp had been established where the surveyors could stay. With her skill, driving off the forest’s monsters would be simple enough; I felt no worry on that score.
The giant pincer insect Metakentos lived in the forest’s wetlands. The creature loved the mud packs of the swamp, so pinpointing its location was easy. Yet, as with every hunter’s work, the journey itself proved far more grueling than the fight. How nice it would be if we could simply blink and arrive with the monster already waiting before us. This was reality, not a game; every step had to be taken. The search itself was thoroughly tedious and annoying.
Still, it was better than searching alone. Pina walked beside me, and Fiore followed at a distance.
Whenever the path required a turn, Pina marked our direction on the trees with red spray in my place. Thanks to her I had almost nothing to do beyond consulting the map and finding the way. I could sense how determined she had come. That reliability of hers was reassuring.
The wetlands were dangerous and inhospitable ground, so we set up the safe zone in the outer jungle. The earth was too soggy and the swamp itself a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes; spending a night there would leave one’s blood thoroughly drained. Forest mosquitoes were especially vicious, sometimes feeding even on monster blood, so their toxins demanded caution.
We spent a night in the safe zone and entered the swamp the next day. The survey hunters would wait at the base until we fired a signal flare, at which point they would join us. Fiore left them behind and linked up with us as well.
The wetland oozed with a thick, sinister atmosphere. Animal carcasses lay scattered here and there. Large flying insects flitted about, drawing the eye. We drove off the more bothersome bugs with casual swings of our weapons and continued surveying the swamp.
Grrrrrrr….
From time to time monstrous cries drifted through the air—eerie sounds perfectly matched to the swamp’s gloomy mood.
“Uwaah…”
Pina flinched at the monster calls circling us. Because the swamp was such unpleasant terrain, it remained less explored and less touched by human hands than other parts of the forest.
“Hold on.”
Already three monsters had crossed our path. Horned Crocodile Draco—the low-grade monster that represented the wetlands. A crocodile with horns; its appearance had earned it the nickname “demon of the swamp.” The way it waited motionless underwater before exploding upward to snatch prey only reinforced the moniker. One of them was currently hauling its thick body through the water.
There was no need to stir up trouble here. We let the Draco pass and resumed checking the swamp. Yet Metakentos showed neither form nor track, as though it were slipping our pursuit entirely.
“…This might take a while.”
“So it would seem.”
Fiore spoke while carefully avoiding the mire. She said it was only natural for a search to take time. After all, a search depended on luck no matter which hunter undertook it; the real question was whether one could endure until the target was found.
I simply did not want to linger long in a place like this. Better to move with care and finish quickly. I had no desire to wrestle with insects or skulk about minding every monster’s mood.
Metakentos left many traces of its pincers. The creature was also called the Architect, because it used those massive claws to seize broken trees and stones and decorate its home. That ecology had been reflected in the game as well; its territory was always dotted with large, clumsy towers. Apparently a male had to build a splendid tower to win a female’s favor. Monsters and humans alike were a wearying sort of species.
“Shouldn’t it show up soon…?”
“There is no need to rush. We have time enough.”
“And plenty of bugs.”
“That much is true. Such is the nature of the forest. It is why I am not especially fond of this place.”
“Even a Master Hunter dislikes bugs?”
“Th-They are rather grotesque, are they not?”
“But isn’t Metakentos a bug too?”
“That is a monster.”
“Well, I might just not know because I’m a gathering hunter, but… what’s the difference…?”
“Shh.”
Found it.
I raised a finger to my lips. Pina and Fiore’s banter cut off at once. Amid a scatter of shattered timber lay the unmistakable imprint of Metakentos’s legs pressed deep into the mud. I pointed at the debris. Now that we had confirmed it was nearby, tracking the creature was only a matter of time.
“…Get ready, Pina.”
“Yes.”
Pina nodded. I adjusted the tachi fastened at my waist. The swamp was no ideal battlefield for a hunter. Waterlogged ground bogged down mobility, and falling into the mire left one helpless. Worse, once a monster submerged itself there was little a hunter could do. The solution was simple: lure the monster to ground better suited for us.
Knowing Metakentos’s habitat, I selected a fighting ground outside the wetlands—dry earth where movement would not be hampered. Large monsters wandered these lands as a matter of course, so such spots were plentiful. After choosing a suitable area I sprayed directional marks so we would not lose our bearings, then turned back toward the swamp.
I rechecked the first traces and slowly followed Metakentos, tracking its footprints and the wreckage left by its pincers until we reached its location.
Krrrrr….
“…Found it.”
Fiore murmured in a low voice. I nodded and toyed with the tachi’s hilt. The Luga-lac essence socketed at the end of the grip gleamed as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Yes. Found it.
Metakentos was using one pincer to seize a flying insect and crunch it down. The delicate working of its jaws was revolting to watch. I stepped onto the soggy earth. Technically I could have fought even here; so long as I avoided the true mire, the swamp itself would not cripple me. But what I wanted to show Fiore was a flawless hunt.
“Watch carefully.”
“Yes.”
“…Do your best!”
Leaving their encouragement behind, I walked forward. I had no confidence I could outrun the monster, but the terrain was full of obstacles. I had noted them one by one on the way in; buying time to lure it would be no problem.
Metakentos twitched its small antennae this way and that. It regarded the unknown life-form with curiosity. Never before had it seen a creature of this shape in the swamp. Beneath its carapace, red compound eyes reflected a small being with white hair and peach-pink irises.
Krrrrr?
Alice stood face-to-face with Metakentos. No hostility showed in the monster’s eyes. Had this been a game, a question mark might have floated above its head. Its six legs wriggled as it moved. The largest foremost limbs—the pincers—still gripped the insect and tore at it with brutal force.
If she simply left it alone, it would soon lose interest and wander elsewhere. Had there been no request, she would have walked past. There was no personal grudge. It was a target, nothing more; therefore she would fight it here.
Alice drew a bottle from her pack. Poison. It would not deal significant damage, but it was more than enough to provoke rage.
Whish—.
She flung the poison bottle at Metakentos’s working jaws. The glass shattered inside its mouth and delivered a searing agony. Curiosity vanished. Anything that caused it pain was an enemy.
Kiiiiiirrr!!
Its fury was only natural. The creature rubbed its small wings together, unleashing a grating noise. Alice’s brow furrowed at the ear-splitting sound; then she spun on her heel and ran.
Is it following properly?
She glanced back. Metakentos had discarded the insect it held and was pursuing her, stabbing its massive pincer-legs into the ground with every stride. Its speed was greater than expected. Showing her back to a monster and fleeing sat poorly with her, yet…
Alice drew the tachi and felled a leaning tree.
Kagagak—!
The trunk parted cleanly and tumbled into Metakentos’s path.
!!!
The monster brought both pincer-legs down, smashing the obstruction to pieces as it advanced. In that brief hesitation the distance opened again.
“…Hmph.”
Alice faced forward. Being chased like this would not last long.
The hunter here is not you.