Monster Hunter: This Dragon's Built Different

"An Elder Dragon that spreads poisonous mist?" Logan muttered, casting one last deep glance at the region before turning and flying back toward the Ancient Tree.

No wonder there had been a massive migration of creatures from the depths of the Ancient Forest.

It's Chameleos!

One of the so-called Three Lords of the Elder Dragons, alongside Kushala Daora and Teostra, Chameleos was by far the most underestimated of the trio.

It lacked the storm-conjuring might of Kushala Daora, or the searing, desert-crystallizing heat of Teostra at full power.

Its powers lay in invisibility—and poison.

And this poison was overwhelming in scale.

If Kushala Daora and Teostra were disasters meant for the land itself, with everything caught in the path being collateral damage, then Chameleos was a walking catastrophe aimed directly at all living creatures.

Its toxins were a complex blend, attacking the respiratory system, appetite, stamina, nervous senses, and even vocal cords. In other words, even if you had a strong enough resistance to poison, prolonged exposure would still mean a slow death.

In pure physical combat, stripped of its poisonous haze, Chameleos ranked among the weaker Elder Dragons—many high-tier monsters with greater raw strength could overpower it. But none of that mattered—it could turn invisible.

And the poisoned mist was its true domain. You couldn't even find its real body. You'd just get worn down and die inside the fog. In terms of sheer difficulty, Chameleos could even be considered more troublesome than Kushala Daora or Teostra.

When Logan returned to his nest in the Ancient Tree, he flopped down into it with a sigh of resignation.

Now he really did have to think about migrating.

He had a feeling. It was always the Elder Dragons that threw ecosystems into chaos and triggered large-scale migrations—but never in a million years did he expect it to be Chameleos.

That thing had always been reclusive, peaceful even, with a temperament so mild and low-profile that it rarely came into conflict with other lifeforms—let alone carelessly unleashing its toxic clouds like this.

It may be an omnivorous creature, but its primary diet consists of insects. Occasionally it'll eat nectar, and only in rare cases will it attack small animals.

What in the world could've caused Chameleos to act so completely out of character?

Logan couldn't help but recall the noise from that disgusting dragon during his earlier absorption of the leyline energy.

The essence of leyline energy was life energy—and Elder Dragons were embodiments of that life force. As such, they were especially sensitive to it.

Even Logan, not a true Elder Dragon himself, had nearly lost his mind from that awful noise—so how much worse would it have been for a real Elder Dragon?

"Wait a second… noise?"

Logan suddenly caught on to something!

"A mighty being… could it be the one? The Earth Singing Dragon—Shara Ishvalda?"

No way!

Logan was taken aback. The First Fleet had only just arrived in the New World. Shara Ishvalda wasn't supposed to awaken and unleash its roar for another fifty years, right?

"…No, that's not right."

He shook the thought off. Fifty years later was only when the disturbances reached a peak—so severe that even Legiana had been forced to migrate, which was what had finally drawn the Research Commission's attention to Shara Ishvalda's presence.

But that didn't mean Shara Ishvalda had been dormant the whole time.

In fact, according to what the scholar in the game once said, Shara Ishvalda had stirred from slumber many times before. It wasn't in permanent hibernation.

So was this Chameleos outburst simply its way of reacting to the sonic assault of Shara Ishvalda's 'singing'? Driven into an agitated frenzy, now it was venting aimlessly?

That… would be a huge problem!

This was Chameleos they were talking about. It wasn't some monster you could just casually deal with. Logan, at least, couldn't think of a single viable solution.

If it were Kushala Daora or Teostra, well—the Ancient Tree was vast, and there were plenty of subspecies and even Tempered monsters around. If push came to shove, you could at least go down swinging and maybe make it out alive.

But Chameleos?

You couldn't even locate the damn thing.

How do you fight something you can't even find? There was no target, no direction, no strategy.

Charging blindly into the poison mist? There was no guarantee he'd even make it out alive.

"So what—are we just supposed to wait for the noise to stop? Wait for Chameleos to finish its tantrum and go back to its territory?"

The helplessness of the situation left Logan feeling frustrated—especially the feeling of having strength, yet nowhere to use it. That was the worst part.

When Aki saw Logan return and slump into the nest in a dejected mood, she was confused. She didn't know what had happened or why he looked so down.

So she simply lay down next to him in the nest, spreading one wing gently over his body and nuzzling up against him in a show of affection.

Logan felt a little better at her warm gesture. He licked her smooth scales in return and began seriously considering where they should migrate to next.

Just like that, after a whole night of thinking it over, Logan finally decided to return to his old nest for the time being. Now that he understood the cause of the Ancient Forest's chaos, it was best to lie low and wait until Chameleos left before coming back.

With that plan in mind, the next morning, Logan spoke with the Grimalkyne tribe. As for whether they wanted to migrate to the same area, that was entirely up to them—Logan and Aki wouldn't be waiting for them during the move.

There wasn't much emotional attachment between the two sides. Their relationship was more transactional than anything else.

Logan had provided shelter in the Ancient Tree and occasionally shared food. In return, the Grimalkynes acted as sentries, scouts, and general helpers.

There hadn't been nearly enough time for any deeper bond to form.

So when the Grimalkyne chief said they needed to discuss things among themselves, Logan simply shrugged it off. He and Aki were heading out to hunt today—they wanted full bellies before setting out. Whatever the Grimalkynes decided was their business, not his.

As the saying goes, plans often can't keep up with change.

While they were making their preparations, Logan and Aki spotted a herd of Aptonoth also migrating through the area. Just like old times, Logan would strike from the air while Aki launched an ambush from the forest below.

But before Logan could even begin herding them, the forest where Aki was waiting was suddenly engulfed in thick mist—Chameleos had somehow arrived in the area without warning.

The moment he saw the mist, Logan roared from the skies in alarm.

But Aki didn't emerge.

And with no time to think, Logan gritted his teeth—then dove straight into the toxic fog.

...

Enshrouded in the white mist, Aki felt as if her entire body had gone limp. She wanted to cry out for help, but could only let out faint sounds.

At first, she had merely landed in the forest as usual, slowing her pace as she moved toward the outer edges. With her natural camouflage, she could blend in perfectly, lying in wait for Logan to drive the herd of Aptonoths her way.

But gradually, a white mist began to spread throughout the forest. Perhaps it was her confidence in her own strength, or maybe it was the toxins in the mist that dulled her senses.

By the time Aki realized what was happening, she was already deep within the dense fog. Her ability to move had been drastically weakened. The wings she usually took pride in now felt as heavy as if they weighed a thousand tons—barely able to flap, let alone lift her into the air.

She tried to call out to Logan, who was flying above, but it was as if her vocal cords had vanished. Only the weakest of sounds escaped her throat.

This sudden change threw her into full-blown panic. She began to run, thinking that as long as she could escape this part of the forest and reach an open field, her Rathalos would surely spot her! He would definitely carry her out of this deadly toxic fog!

But unfortunately, she had barely taken a few steps when an overwhelming sense of weakness washed over her. Her legs gave out as if they no longer obeyed her, collapsing to the ground. The strength she once took so much pride in was now clearly slipping away from her body. Her stamina was draining rapidly, and the fatigue was so intense it made her drowsy.

Just then, a wave of heat surged forth. A ball of orange fire landed beside Aki. Enveloped in flames driven at full force by Logan, it forcibly cleared a vacuum within the thick fog.

With Logan's urgent and loud roar echoing above, Aki's groggy mind suddenly snapped awake. She forced herself to focus and looked toward Logan.

She couldn't speak, only let out a pitiful whimper as she strained to move her body closer to him, trying to express her fear through this small act.

Logan had never seen Aki so weak and frightened, so helpless. In his memories, Aki had always been fierce, powerful, and unyielding—looking down on everything with pride. Even in her gentler moments around him, she carried an air of calm strength, someone capable of shielding others from all harm.

But now, seeing this side of her—a completely different vulnerability—he could only imagine what she must have gone through. Had he arrived just a bit later, she might truly have been in danger.

Even if her life hadn't been taken, her body would have likely suffered irreversible damage afterward.

Fury burned within Logan. He tilted his head back and let out a furious roar.

But... all he could do was roar in frustration.

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