Anyone who has played any Monster Hunter game will have probably noticed at some point that the ways these so called "monsters" act are strangely familiar, with their behavior being more animalistic than monstrous. This is without a doubt the thing...
Gusts of wind blow across the open expanses of the desert beneath the light of the full moon, kicking up large clouds of sand, and moving dunes over the dry and barren landscape. The seemingly empty terrain is starkly contrasted by the millions of stars that fill the cloudless, dark-blueish-purple sky, giving the area a magical feeling.
Across the landscape, rocky rises and gaping chasms break up the plains' monotonous appearance, the peaks, and caverns concealing the presence of freshwater. As a lifeline for many different species, these oases attract so many creatures every day, with a huge variety of monsters visiting the areas to quench their thirst, or to feed off the sparse patches of vegetation which surround these pools.
However, even though water is more abundant in this part of Sekumea, competition over these precious resources is fierce. The silent peace of the night is suddenly shattered as an echoing crash resonates throughout the area; this racket is soon followed by the roars and heavy breathing of two Barroths clashing for dominance over a nearby muddy watering hole.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It's not unusual for Barroths to fight one another over ponds, as they desperately need the mud that the liquids create to fend off the sun; however, now that it's the heart of the dry season, these competitions are becoming much more frequent and violent as they try to claim the few remaining permanent water sources, either fed by underground aquifers or maintained by the brute wyverns who constantly deepen the mires by wallowing in them, and pushing out dirt with their spade-like crowns. Many species rely on these armored animals for survival during these hard times, but right now, nothing wants to get close to the combatants.
The Barroths continue charging headfirst into each other, the issuing impact stopping them both in their tracks. Their skulls are very durable and made to withstand heavy blunt force trauma; however, the continuous smashing is beginning to deal damage to them, with blood now oozing from the head of one of the combatants, but it refuses to give up and throws itself at its opponent. The two brute wyverns collide once more, but this time the victor is clear as the injured one collapses.
As the winner towers over its rival, it roars at it while the defeated Barroth gets up and staggers away, unaware that it's being watched. Having witnessed the entire battle, Blade, an old male Seregios, begins following the wounded brute wyvern. Normally he wouldn't bother trailing such a large and dangerous creature, being adapted to hunt smaller species; however, over the years, he's learned that where there are injured creatures, there is food.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
