Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Camp Takes Shape, The Capture Plan
In the secluded valley, Su Yi and his companions had long since departed, leaving behind nothing but shattered remains of flesh and bone. Soon, a series of heavy footfalls shattered the silence of the place.
Thump, thump, thump!
A massive, dark green figure strode into the valley and quickly discovered the remnants of the Winddrift Dragon’s corpse.
Crunch, crunch!
The newcomer showed no disdain for the mangled remains; instead, it began devouring them in great gulps, chewing and swallowing splintered bone along with scraps of meat. Yet clearly, this was not enough to satisfy its hunger. Lowering its head, it sniffed the lingering scent of carnage, then started to move purposefully in a certain direction.
...
Back at the makeshift camp, Su Yi had fashioned a simple grill from rocks and bones, upon which he was roasting meat from a herbivorous dragon. The ferocious Giant Jackal Dragon, long accustomed to such scenes, waited calmly for its meal.
But the Giant Maw Dragon, who had spent its life scavenging scraps and carrion, stared in rapt wonder at the roasting meat and its mouth-watering aroma, unable to stop drool from slipping from the corner of its mouth.
“Don’t be impatient!” Su Yi looked at the restless Giant Maw Dragon, half exasperated, half amused.
Under the blazing fire, the meat gradually cooked. Su Yi sprinkled on a few simple seasonings, and instantly, the camp was awash in mouthwatering fragrance.
The Giant Jackal Dragon tore off a chunk of meat and savored it thoroughly, while the Giant Maw Dragon grabbed a bone-in hunk and devoured it in frenzied, eager gulps.
Su Yi shook his head and sighed, “Poor thing. Here, don’t rush, there’s more. There’ll always be more.”
As he spoke, he handed over another piece of roast meat.
This time, the Giant Maw Dragon, heeding Su Yi’s words, slowed its eating and began to taste the food properly. The succulent, marbled meat sizzled with the aroma of fat and protein, enriched by the layers of flavor from the seasoning; Su Yi’s expert touch had brought out the perfect texture.
The Giant Maw Dragon was instantly enraptured. Compared to the cold, rotten corpses and fetid scraps it had always eaten, this roast meat was heaven itself. Having tasted such food, it could not imagine returning to its old fare.
Seeing this, Su Yi patted the Giant Maw Dragon’s head and declared with gusto, “Be my little brother and you’ll feast like this every day! Sooner or later, we’ll sample every delicacy this New World has to offer!”
“So just follow me without worry!”
The Giant Maw Dragon pondered for a moment—the promise of full and fragrant meals was simply too tempting. After all, a fight is a fight, no matter where. With the sentience it had recently gained, the Giant Maw Dragon figured things out in an instant, and nodded.
Su Yi smiled and returned to his work.
He had just skinned a pterosaur, and after carefully scraping off the fat and tissue from the hide, he washed it and left it to dry over the fire. Lacking the proper materials and conditions for tanning, this was the best he could do for now.
Once the hide had dried and stiffened, Su Yi began sewing it into a tent. Drawing on the memories of a basic hunter, he spent several hours, clumsily but persistently, piecing together a simple tent cloth. He fashioned a frame from bones, draped the cloth over it, and secured it in place—at last, a crude camp was complete.
Opening the “Hunting Guide,” Su Yi saw that the camp was now registered as active, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Let’s see how the tent is,” he said, stepping inside to unroll his sleeping bag and lie down.
The tent, made from Fangwing Dragon hide, was both windproof and warm. Before long, as he lay in his sleeping bag, drowsiness overtook him. He had been on the move for days with injuries and hadn’t truly rested; although this trek through the Miasma Valley had been fraught with peril, it had also yielded substantial gains.
Su Yi opened the “Hunting Guide” and turned to the page for his companions.
[Name: Giant Maw Dragon
Species: Giant Maw Dragon (Male)
Type: Dragon, Dark
Ability: Malice Squad (Can summon other Maw Dragons to assist; when commanded by the ability holder, Maw Dragons gain a moderate boost in combat power)
Moves: Paralyzing Venom (Signature move, Power 20, Electric-type, Special move; spits venom that induces paralysis—once paralysis accumulates to a threshold, the target is immediately immobilized), Pursuit, Bite, Thunder Fang, and others.]
It was clear that the Giant Maw Dragon’s abilities were best put to use in the Miasma Valley; elsewhere, it was merely a status inflictor. Still, Su Yi valued its power to command other Maw Dragons, making exploration in the Valley far more convenient.
At present, Su Yi had seven companions in total: Giant Jackal Dragon, Kulu-Ya-Ku, Giant Maw Dragon, Dewleaf, and among Pokémon: Chansey, Larvesta, and Scolipede. Other than the Scolipede, with whom he had yet to establish communication, all the others were battle-ready—just enough to fill the six-member roster.
Turning to the “Quest” page, Su Yi saw that the earlier missions about the Barroth, Nargacuga, and Steel Dragon had disappeared, as no traces were found within three days.
Now, after encountering new monsters in the Miasma Valley, his golden finger had generated new investigation reports—and new quests had appeared.
[Quest: Capture the Odious Claw Dragon
Support: None
Rewards: 8 High-Rank Balls, 2 Trap Tools, 3 Target Materials
Time Limit: 5 days]
[Quest: Hunt the Explosive Scale Dragon
Support: After initial part break, receive 5 Flash Bombs and 1 Paralysis Trap
Rewards: 15 High-Rank Balls, 5 Trap Tools, 2 Ancient Medicines, 3 Target Materials
Time Limit: 10 days]
Su Yi closed the guide and sighed, “Only the Odious Claw Dragon quest seems feasible. Hunting the Explosive Scale Dragon is out of the question.”
The five flash bombs and one paralysis trap offered as support would hardly turn the tide, not to mention the prerequisite of breaking a part first. However, the appearance of “target materials” among the quest rewards was a welcome change—it resolved the awkward issue of not being able to gather monster materials for Dewleaf to craft equipment after capturing them.
Though Su Yi himself was not the main fighting force, it was crucial that his Palico be well-equipped. With the Giant Maw Dragon now on his team, an additional status inflictor at his disposal, and with materials from the Winddrift Dragon and Blackhorn Dragon, he could at least provide Dewleaf with two weapons and a full set of Winddrift Dragon armor.
Though this was far from what he had originally set out to accomplish in the Wildspire Waste, it was a respectable harvest nonetheless.
As Su Yi pondered strategies for capturing the Odious Claw Dragon, he gradually drifted into sleep.
...
In the pitch-black Miasma Valley, time was impossible to gauge. Su Yi, in his cave camp, was roused by a series of roars. Listening carefully at the camp’s edge, he distinguished the call of the Odious Claw Dragon—and alongside it, that terrifying roar he had heard many times before but never seen the source of.
Su Yi already had his suspicions about the owner of that roar—he just needed proof.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Su Yi muttered. He called Dewleaf to his side, patted the five capture balls at his waist, and stepped cautiously out of camp.