This was a rocky platform near the mountain peak.
The grayish-white limestone, combined with the intense sunlight, made the lighting in this area somewhat dazzling.
At the edge of the rocky platform, Jara rubbed his chubby hands together, his lewd appearance looking like an overweight Kulu-Ya-Ku.
Behind the grilles of his full-face visor, a pair of sharp little eyes gleamed with greedy light, staring intently at the Flying Wyvern Nest located in the center of the rocky platform.
Or more accurately, staring at the round egg in the middle of the Wyvern Nest.
Behind him, Naziya gritted her teeth, pulling desperately on his tassets, but she couldn't budge the fellow. She wished she could pull out her weapon right then and there and give the fat man an axe strike.
Worried about attracting the nest's owner, she didn't dare speak loudly, only squeezing a sentence through her teeth, "Do you have a death wish or something?
At this size, it must be the egg of a large Flying Wyvern species, right? Aren't you afraid the mother will come back and swallow a fatty like you whole?"
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Jara didn't lower his volume. "Look at that egg, the shape, the patterns. I'd bet all this fat on my body that it's a Tigrex egg!"
"And so?!"
"If it were a Rathalos or a Khezu egg, I'd turn around and leave without even looking. After all, those things fly and guard their nests; once we're spotted, we can't escape.
But a Tigrex is different. Let me tell you, a Tigrex isn't a model parent like a Rathalos. For the sake of hunting, it's normal for them to leave the nest and eggs for days.
We didn't find any fresh tracks while scouting this area, which means it's not nearby, and it can't just 'whoosh!' fly back. So what's there to worry about?
I've already planned the retreat route. Isn't there a stream on the way here? We'll walk in the water; that way, we won't even leave a scent. Even if it comes back later, it won't be able to track us down!"
Naziya opened her mouth, finding herself surprisingly moved by his argument, but on second thought, something felt wrong.
Their mission was to scout the Ancestral Steppe. How did it turn into stealing Wyvern eggs?!
"You–"
The curse was about to escape her lips when it was interrupted by a faint roar echoing from the distance.
"ROOOAAAR!"
The two were startled, reaching for their weapon hilts, but then quickly relaxed.
Anyone with experience could judge that this roar was transmitted from a very far distance.
At least several kilometers away. If it weren't for the special terrain of the Ancestral Steppe acting like a megaphone, the sound probably wouldn't have traveled this far.
"See, a Tigrex roar." Jara spread his hands, pointing in the direction the sound came from. "That guy is far away; there's no need to worry about bumping into him midway."
As he spoke, he climbed onto the rocky platform, scurrying to the dragon egg with an agility that defied his physique. "Delicious eggy-weggy, Papa's here!"
Naziya huffed, no longer opposing Jara's plan to steal the egg. "Consider yourself lucky. Judging by the sound, it seems to be in the steppe area.
Good thing we didn't go over there, otherwise we would have run into... wait?!"
Remembering something, Naziya's eyes widened, and the hand Jara had stretched toward the egg froze.
They looked toward the steppe in panic. There, a red SOS flare rose into the air, illuminating the darkening sky.
"!"
"Save them!"
—--
The Tigrex possessed extremely tough nerves; the intense light from the Flash Pod explosion didn't stun it for long.
However, the effect on its vision lasted a while, and the smell of the improvised Dung Bomb and Paintball further sealed its exceptionally sharp sense of smell.
This threw the Tigrex into confusion. Temporarily unable to judge the target's position, it rampaged, swinging its claws wildly and biting at enemies that weren't there.
Altaïr and Isis took this opportunity to sprint at full speed, doing everything they could to put distance between themselves and the Tigrex.
It wasn't too far from the location of that Fissure now, at most several hundred meters. If they could jump into the Fissure before the Tigrex caught up, even if they wouldn't be fully out of danger, they could at least hold out longer inside.
"Roar!" The Tigrex, having gradually recovered part of its vision, let out a furious roar.
Vaguely determining the direction the Hunters were fleeing, the Tigrex gripped the ground with all four limbs and gave chase at full speed.
Glancing back at the Tigrex's position and the speed of its pursuit, Altaïr cursed inwardly. This speed wouldn't allow them to reach the Fissure.
"When it gets close, use another Flash Pod!" Altaïr shouted while running at full speed.
"Okay!"
The distance of two or three hundred meters between the Tigrex and the Hunters was cut by more than half in just over ten seconds. Isis turned and fired another Flash Pod.
Under the influence of the strong light, the Tigrex's pursuit stalled once more. However, because it had been flashed not long ago, it had adapted to the light to some extent.
In just a few seconds, it recovered enough vision that its movements were largely unaffected.
And the series of "little tricks" like flashes and stenches had pushed it into a violent rage.
White steam blasted from the Tigrex's nostrils, and crimson blood vessels climbed into its eyes. The arteries in its claws, wing membranes, and neck throbbed with the accelerated heartbeat, emitting a red glow that symbolized danger.
"GA-ROOOAAAR!"
Its movement speed increased further. The small distance barely gained by the second Flash Pod was wiped out by the enraged Tigrex in an instant.
The distance between the two sides was down to the last hundred meters.
It sounded like a fair distance, but for a large Flying Wyvern nearly twenty meters long, it was only about five body lengths.
In a few seconds, they would be overtaken.
"Prepare to engage!" Isis barked. "But don't get locked in combat. Circumvent it while moving toward the Fissure."
"Understood."
They were not far from the Fissure now. Although the Tigrex's strength was far beyond their capabilities, at least there was a visible escape route and hope.
The distance between them closed further. Suddenly, the Tigrex's pace faltered mid-sprint. It thrust one wing claw into the soil and shoved forward violently.
A massive chunk of earth and stone, along with the turf, was uprooted and hurled like a cannonball toward the fleeing Hunters.
Facing the incoming earth clods, dodging to the sides was certainly an option.
But there were less than three body lengths between them and the Tigrex. A large evasive maneuver might mean they wouldn't have time to stand and adjust their posture before being trampled by the Charging Tigrex.
Therefore, Isis chose to intercept.
In her heavy armor, it was difficult to stop immediately. Thus, she chose to jump forward, turning mid-air while raising her tower shield and deploying her Gunlance.
The moment her feet hit the ground, she lowered her center of gravity. The metal spikes on the soles of her sabatons bit into the earth, plowing two furrows two or three meters long beneath her.
Before she could even come to a full standstill, she had already raised her tower shield and entered a defense stance.
"Boom!"
Almost simultaneously, the flying chunk of earth slammed into the shield face. The powerful impact sent her sliding back several more meters.
However, with her own formidable core strength and the help of the Barroth armor set's joint-locking mechanism (guard), her defense stance held firm, and her center of gravity remained stable.
"Bang! Bang!" Once she stabilized, Isis leveled her spear at the approaching Tigrex's head and fired two consecutive Shells.
As a Wide-type Gunlance, the damage the Shells could deal to a monster of the Tigrex's caliber at this range was very limited.
But her goal was never to cause injury; it was to disrupt the Tigrex's charge.
If someone is running and suddenly has a handful of sand thrown in their face, even if they aren't hurt, their pace will naturally slow down.
She succeeded. The spreading shrapnel pitter-pattered against the Tigrex's face, with some even falling into its mouth and eyelids.
The Tigrex subconsciously tilted its head, and its charging speed slowed down.
Altaïr rushed out from behind Isis, sprinting toward the side of the Tigrex's head from an angle, his blade drawn as if to attack.
The Tigrex's reaction speed was completely different from the monsters they had encountered before. Seeing the enemy close in, the Tigrex stopped and swung its head for a bite.
"Snap!" The massive maw, carrying a pungent stench of blood, snapped shut in front of Altaïr, biting nothing but air.
Having interrupted his attack early, Altaïr kicked back rapidly, narrowly dodging the Tigrex's snap.
Like Isis, his attack had been a feint, intended to make the Tigrex stop in its tracks. Otherwise, with the Tigrex's size and momentum, it would have crashed straight into Isis, and no matter how strong she was, she likely wouldn't have been able to tank it.
A heavily armored frontliner's job is to draw the target's attention from the front.
And constantly harassing the opponent, disrupting the target's offensive, and sharing the pressure for his companion was his duty as a skirmisher.
(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.
MONSTERS
Rathalos — Often called the "King of the Skies," the Rathalos is one of the most iconic Flying Wyverns in the series and a symbol of the Guild itself. Unlike the Tigrex, it is an attentive nest guardian and will aggressively defend its territory from the air. It breathes fireballs and uses venomous talons, making it a threat on multiple fronts. Found across a wide range of regions worldwide.
Khezu — A pale, eyeless Flying Wyvern adapted to cave environments where it has no use for sight. It detects prey through smell alone and is capable of generating powerful electrical discharges. Its unsettling appearance and silent movement make it a disturbing encounter for unprepared hunters. Rated ★4–5 depending on the region and subspecies.
EQUIPMENT
Gunlance — A hybrid weapon combining a thrusting lance with an integrated explosive firing mechanism. The lance portion handles defense and positional control while the barrel fires "Shells," explosive rounds that detonate on contact. Wide-type Gunlances fire a spread of smaller blasts across a wider area, favoring hunters who stay close and hold ground rather than chase. Isis's weapon of choice.