As the Brute Tigrex fell, the tension drained from Altaïr's nerves, and he slumped heavily to the ground.
Sajji rushed over, pried his mouth open with his furry paws, and poured two Potions down his throat.
Morgan, who had been hiding at a distance, also approached. His gaze remained fixed on Altaïr, who sat on the ground with both hands braced behind him to keep himself from collapsing. Wariness showed in Morgan's eyes.
"Are you all right? What was that just now?"
Altaïr looked at him in confusion. Then, as though realizing something, he pulled the Disposable Earplugs from his ears and asked, "What did you say?!"
His voice was so loud that Sajji flinched beside him.
Morgan frowned. With his keen eyesight, he noticed that both earplugs were stained with blood.
Had that roar actually deafened him? Even though he had not taken the sonic attack head-on, hearing damage was hardly surprising at such close range. Morgan had no choice but to raise his voice and repeat the question.
To Altaïr, Morgan's lips were moving, but his voice sounded faint and distant. The Brute Tigrex's roar still echoed inside his skull, while a piercing ring in his ears nearly drowned Morgan out. Fortunately, Morgan only sounded quiet rather than completely inaudible. That proved Altaïr had not gone deaf, only suffered temporary hearing loss... probably.
Piecing together what little he could hear with some guesswork, Altaïr shook his head and pointed at his ears. "I'm fine! I just can't hear clearly! I need a moment to recover!"
Between the hearing damage and severe tinnitus, Altaïr could not judge his own volume at all. He was shouting so loudly that Morgan wanted to cover his ears.
Sajji pulled out a small pouch of Lifepowder. It worked well on external injuries, so whether or not it would help, he sprinkled a little into Altaïr's ears as a makeshift treatment. Then he explained on Altaïr's behalf, "That was Beast Soul Possession, meow. It's a new move this guy learned in Kamura Village. It looks scary, but he's fine, meow."
Hearing that, Morgan relaxed slightly. Anyone seeing the technique for the first time would be intimidated by the terrifying sight of black aura, bloodshot eyes, and an inhuman roar.
"I'll stand guard. Rest for a while, then carve the materials as soon as you can. We need to leave quickly. This is a water source, so there's a good chance other Large Monsters will wander nearby."
"What did you say?!" Altaïr shouted.
"..."
At a loss for words, Morgan took the memo hanging from Altaïr's belt, tore out a sheet of paper, and quickly wrote two lines. This was a much faster way to communicate.
After reading the note, Altaïr signaled that he understood, braced his hands on his knees, and pushed himself upright. He started toward the Brute Tigrex to carve the materials, but his steps wobbled, and he nearly fell.
"Looks like it's not just hearing damage. He has a concussion too... Forget it." Morgan sighed, gestured for Altaïr to rest, then turned to Sajji. "Sajji, take Hakucho and stand guard. I'll handle the carving."
I just hope Isis won't blame me for bringing back a deaf guy who can't even walk straight.
—--
They rested at camp overnight.
The following afternoon, the two Hunters, one Felyne, and one Halk returned to Harth carrying a large pile of Brute Tigrex materials. By then, Altaïr's symptoms had improved considerably.
At least he could walk steadily again, and the double vision had cleared up. The bad news was that his hearing had yet to recover; someone had to stand right beside him and shout into his ear before he could make out even a few words.
This left Morgan and Sajji uneasy... Had he really gone deaf?
Altaïr himself was more optimistic. Madam Marydan had once told him about her own Brute Tigrex Hunt. She too had gone deaf for a while afterward, and her hearing had taken a week or two to recover gradually.
She had not even been wearing Earplugs at the time, so Altaïr figured his condition could not be any worse than hers.
In good spirits, he brought the pile of materials straight to the smithy. Gemma happened to be there too.
Seeing the dusty, travel-worn group return with so many materials, Gemma smiled. "Looks like the Hunt went smoothly?"
"Good afternoon, Miss Gemma!" Altaïr greeted her with a wave.
The answer was a little disconnected from her question, and his voice was louder than usual, but the easygoing Gemma noticed nothing amiss.
She raised her chin toward the materials behind him. "Here to forge some gear?"
Although he could not hear very well, her question was short and her body language clear, so Altaïr easily understood. "Yeah, Armor. No need for a weapon, and there probably aren't enough materials for one anyway."
Gemma nodded, had them move the large pile of materials onto the workbench, and carefully inspected it.
"The materials are high quality, and there's enough here. If I pick out the best pieces, forging a Brute Tigrex Armor Set shouldn't be a problem.
For the Brute Tigrex Armor Set, I have two sets of blueprints. One is an older design, while the other was modified by New World smiths to make it more aggressive.
The natural energy here isn't as abundant as it is in the New World, and the Monsters and their materials are slightly weaker, but that won't be a serious problem.
I'll forge it according to the modified blueprints, all right?"
Altaïr's expression froze.
There was no way he could bluff his way through such a long explanation. He did not particularly want anyone else to know he was temporarily deaf, but this concerned his new equipment; he could not risk a mistake just to save face.
After he briefly explained the situation, amusement crossed Gemma's face.
Such injuries were not uncommon among Hunters, especially when facing something like a Brute Tigrex.
She pared down her explanation, leaned close to Altaïr's ear, and shouted. This time, he finally heard her clearly.
"Of course! Offensive gear is exactly what I need! I'm counting on you!"
His voice was still loud. Anywhere else, it might have seemed strange or rude.
But this was a Troverian smithy. Troverians were naturally loud, and with the constant clanging inside, no one could hear a softly spoken word. Altaïr's shouting did not seem unusual at all.
After swiftly taking Altaïr's measurements, Gemma began shooing him away. "Hurry up and get to the Gathering Hall. Isis has been waiting so long that she's getting impatient."
"Excuse me?"
Sajji climbed onto Altaïr's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and meowed loudly, "Isis is waiting for you at the Gathering Hall, meow!"
"Oh, right. I'll leave the Armor in your hands, Miss Gemma." Altaïr bowed slightly and took his leave.
—--
With the Hunt successful, his new Armor commissioned, and Isis now in town, the good news kept piling up. In high spirits, Altaïr walked briskly to the Gathering Hall tavern.
Sure enough, Isis was there.
Isis had been passing the time by eating. When she spotted Altaïr and the others coming in, her face lit up, and she hurried over. "I hunted a Kuarusepu! I bet I finished before you this time! Looks like I win this round!
Oh, right! Aunt Gemma... I mean, Big Sis Gemma took me to choose a Talisman, and I found one that's absolutely perfect for me!
The Master Craftsman said the Talisman was alchemized from Deviljho materials and significantly boosts strength!
He also said it has two negative effects!" Isis raised both hands and curled her fingers into air quotes.
"First, the Deviljho aura within the Talisman makes its user more likely to attract a Monster's attention (Taunt).
Most people seeking power-boosting effects are offensive Blademasters, so having Monsters fixate on them is a bad thing. But who would expect me to be a rare offensive shield bearer? Hehe!
The second effect is that the extra power burns through energy faster, making the user grow hungry more quickly (Hunger). That means no matter how much I eat, I won't have to worry about indigestion!
Those two effects might be drawbacks for other people, but for me, they're nothing but advantages, right?
Ah! I almost forgot. You're the one who told Ted and the others that I can't eat spicy food, aren't you?
How could you sell out your own teammate like that..."
Watching Isis chatter without pause, her expression shifting from smug to delighted to displeased, Altaïr could not bring himself to interrupt. All he could do was keep a smile plastered on his face.
Only when she finally paused for breath did he scratch his ear and say with a grin, "What did you say? I didn't catch that."
"Huh?"
Isis turned to Sajji, who hung from Altaïr's shoulder with his little paws covering his face.
"Is this guy itching for a beating?"
* * *
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