Deep within the Jungle, the battered leviathan trudged forward.
It was exhausted. Its steps were heavy and slow, its body covered in gashes and scorch marks. However, a closer look revealed these were primarily superficial wounds, far from being fatal.
Given enough time to feed and rest, it would return to its former peak within a matter of days.
Dragging its massive frame, the Duramboros moved sluggishly until it came upon a fallen tree.
In the warm, humid environment unique to the Jungle, the interior of this seemingly intact trunk had long since rotted. Bacteria and insects had bored countless small holes through it, and rainwater had saturated the wood, making it as spongy and soft as a loofah.
Slime molds, moss, ants, worms, mushrooms... countless tiny lives thrived within, forming a miniature ecosystem of their own.
Such rotting logs were ubiquitous in the Jungle. Unlike living trees, they were neither hard nor coarse, and being rich in nutrients, they were a Duramboros's favorite meal.
Like a starving man presented with a cake, the Duramboros lowered its head impatiently and began to feed in great gulps.
Rustle, rustle...
Clad in Ghillie Mantles, the Hunters closed in from different directions.
They were being as careful as possible, but they were not Hunters specialized in Jungle terrain; it was inevitable that their armor would snag on branches or brush against leaves, creating faint noises.
Fortunately, the Duramboros was not a Monster known for keen perception, and it was so preoccupied with the feast before it that it failed to notice the approaching Hunters.
Reaching a position from which they could strike, Altaïr signaled his companions to "stand by," and the group carefully concealed themselves.
He didn't intend to interrupt the Duramboros's meal or launch an immediate assault. Instead, he planned to wait.
Unlike carnivores and omnivores, herbivores digest fiber-rich plants slowly. For a Monster like the Duramboros, which derived its primary nutrition from wood, the digestion cycle was particularly long.
There was no need to worry that a few mouthfuls would instantly restore its strength; if anything, letting it fill its belly with wood would only make its movements more sluggish.
They waited in silence until the Duramboros had swallowed the softest, most porous parts of the rotting wood and shook its body as it looked up, preparing to move on in search of more food.
That was when Altaïr gave the order to strike.
"Attack!"
He and Isis burst from the underbrush simultaneously.
Isis made no attempt to hide her presence, charging toward the Duramboros with a fierce "Hyaaah!" The sudden commotion startled the beast just as it was about to take a step.
Altaïr was even faster. While the Duramboros's attention was fixed on her, he had already reached its feet and launched his assault.
The black mist around the Duramboros's legs had temporarily dissipated, and its highly swollen muscles had returned to relatively normal dimensions, but the burst hide could not heal so easily.
Altaïr targeted those cracks in the skin. Without the protection of the thick keratinized hide, his blade could easily penetrate deep into the muscle tissue to release its sleep toxin.
The offensive on Isis's side had begun as well, with roars and the thunder of shelling echoing one after another. The Blademasters fought with fierce energy as Nymera and Sajji cautiously moved into their attack positions.
The Hunter and Felyne maintained a safe distance of over thirty meters from the Duramboros. Sajji opened fire first.
"Thump, thump." With a few muffled reports, shells packed with incendiary agent traced high arcs through the air, landing square on the Duramboros's back.
Because they were lobbed in a high trajectory, the kinetic damage was so negligible that the Duramboros didn't even notice. The beast was busy roaring and heaving its horns, intent on goring the Blademasters before it.
Sajji took the opportunity to quickly reload and fired a second volley of shells, ensuring enough incendiary agent was coated across the Duramboros's back.
"All set, meow!" Sajji shouted after completing his task.
Upon receiving the signal, the Blademasters immediately broke off their assault and retreated from the fray.
The furious Duramboros was about to give chase when a Flash Pod detonated before its eyes. The intense light compromised its vision; while it wasn't enough to fully stun the beast, it provided more than enough cover for the Blademasters to withdraw.
The Duramboros lunged and thrashed blindly, swinging its Tail Hammer and madly attacking non-existent enemies, smashing countless trees to splinters.
Nymera retreated, raising her cannon to unleash a Rapid Fire burst of Flaming Ammo.
Watching the rounds impact the Duramboros and erupt into blossoms of flame that ignited a massive blaze, Nymera quickened her pace to catch up with her fellow Hunters, vanishing into the shadows of the forest.
Upon its back, the raging fire began to spread. The incendiary agent mixed with melting fat, drawing the flames deep into the wounds and the gaps in its hide. The searing pain of the high-temperature burns grew more agonizing by the second.
"Mooo-onnnn–"
Driven by an instinctive fear of fire, and with its vision not yet fully recovered, the Duramboros let out a low bellow and began to spin its body in place.
The swinging Tail Hammer easily pulverized the surrounding trees and vines. As its body gained momentum, the Duramboros spun faster and faster.
Great quantities of grease and incendiary agent were flung outward by the high-speed rotation. Fortunately, the Jungle was damp enough to prevent a larger forest fire from breaking out.
Starved of fuel and suppressed by the fierce gale of the spin, the flames began to dim.
In just over a dozen seconds, the roaring fire on the Duramboros's back was largely extinguished. The few remaining flickers were completely smothered as the beast rolled upon the ground after coming to a halt.
The Duramboros panted heavily, its stamina so severely depleted that it could barely stand for a moment.
"Thump, thump!"
The familiar muffled reports made the Duramboros flinch.
Several more Incendiary Rounds streaked out from the Jungle, splashing across its hide, followed immediately by a rapid succession of Flaming Ammo.
Fire erupted once more. The blaze that had been out for less than a minute surged back to life on the Duramboros's back.
This battle, utterly devoid of anything resembling "honor," dragged on until evening.
Nymera's Flaming Ammo was used primarily for ignition, so she still had plenty left, but the Rathalos Model-07's supply of Incendiary Rounds was nearly exhausted.
This was even with Sajji being frugal, firing only one or two shells at a time to barely stretch the supply this far.
The Duramboros tried to fight the Hunters to the death.
However, in the complex terrain of the Jungle, it stood no chance of catching Hunters and a Felyne who were solely intent on evasion.
And whenever it tried to feed or lie down to rest for a moment, those "thump-thump" sounds, noises now etched into the very depths of its soul, would ring out once again. In the end, it simply found the stream where it usually drank and lay down in it, finally putting an end to the miserable cycle of repeatedly catching fire.
By now, its back was a charred ruin. The once-plump humps had vanished, replaced by shriveled outer skin that had been roasted until it was brittle and flaking away. The thick muscle beneath was a parched, dark red, clearly necrotic from the extreme heat.
The stream only served to slightly delay its inevitable collapse. The wounds soaking in the water could not heal, and the flowing current continuously drained away its blood, warmth, and stamina.
Its massive frame, once capable of effortlessly splintering giant trees, now struggled even to stand.
Between the blood loss, hypothermia, and the continuous buildup of sleep toxin, the Duramboros's eyelids felt as heavy as lead. If it relaxed its spirit for even a second, it would drift into a deep slumber the next, yet it stubbornly clung to consciousness.
Instinct told it that if it fell asleep now, it might never wake up again.
No longer needing to hide, the Hunters emerged from the shadows of the forest and approached the stream, gazing at the dying behemoth.
Isis turned her head away, unable to bear the sight. She knew, of course, that one had to use any means necessary when dealing with dangerous Monsters, but seeing the beast that had been as majestic as a mountain this morning reduced to such a pathetic state filled her with a sense of sorrow.
She almost regretted taking this contract.
Altaïr walked to the edge of the stream and drew his Nerscylla Shield & Sword, looking the Duramboros straight in the eye.
"Come on. This is the final fight."
As if understanding his words, the Duramboros let out a low growl and hauled itself up from the icy water. A black mist drifted from its legs, injecting a final surge of strength into its withered body.
"Mooo-rrroooooh!!"
Its hooves shattered the ground along the bank. Though weakened and near death, the "Natural Hammer" was still a force to be reckoned with as it launched a final charge at its opponent.
Altaïr raised his shield, standing ready as he locked his eyes on the Duramboros's horns.
A split second before the collision, Altaïr suddenly accelerated, crouching into a sliding dash that took him right under the Duramboros's body.
Having committed all its remaining strength into the strike, the Duramboros was powerless to stop or turn. It crashed forward another twenty or thirty meters, plunging headfirst into the Pitfall Trap the Hunters had prepared in advance.
"Quick! Quick! Put it under!" Altaïr leaped to his feet and shouted urgently.
Sajji sprinted forward, smashing five or six Tranq Ammo rounds into the pit in rapid succession.
"Mooo–!"
With a long cry of grief and indignation, the Duramboros's head hit the ground hard as it finally reached its limit and lost consciousness.
"Only an idiot would try to out-muscle you," Altaïr joked, sheathing his weapon with a grin.
Isis marched over fuming and kicked him hard in the shin.
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
EQUIPMENT
Ghillie Mantle — A specialized cloak designed to mimic natural foliage, allowing hunters to move through their environment undetected. When worn, it suppresses the hunter's presence, rendering them nearly invisible to most monsters. Commonly used to close the distance before an ambush or to safely reposition during combat without drawing the monster's aggression.