POV Narrator
—So the monster escaped... —said the commander in Astera's war room.—Were there any casualties? —he continued.—No, fortunately. Only the first team that made contact with the monster sustained relatively serious injuries. The rest have burns of varying degrees —replied the Hunter Master.
The admiral stared at the Hunter Master, who was still wearing his armor, now covered in dirt and black stains, with a dent on the chest.
—And what about you? You don't seem to have come out any better than the rest.
The Hunter Master shook his head.—Nothing a mega potion can't fix.
The commander threw him a look that clearly said he didn't believe that for a second, but given the current situation, it wasn't the right time to argue.
—Then, what do we have? —asked the commander's grandson while turning to the head researcher, who throughout the entire conversation had been silently staring into the distance, rubbing his chin.
He took a few seconds before replying.—It doesn't make sense... —he said, looking up at the sky and shaking his head.
—What doesn't? —asked the commander, tension in his voice.
—The monster... it can apparently use some kind of powder to trigger the nitro element. That's not unheard of. Nitro is a general term for monsters that can create explosions through natural means, like Brachydios's slime or Teostra's fiery fur —he paused before continuing.—But... according to the testimonies from the three hunters, it didn't use that ability before. That's what confuses me. If it can cause such destructive explosions, why not use them from the beginning?
Everyone in the room went silent, lost in thought, until the Hunter Master spoke.
—Because it still can't use it without consequences —everyone turned to look at him, not understanding what he meant, so he continued.—... Monsters that use fire —especially nitro— have a certain texture to their skin when you cut them... how do I put it... it feels different from other monsters. This one didn't have that same feel when I cut it.
—Yes... fire-element and nitro monsters usually have a unique property in their skin that makes them resistant to flames and high temperatures. That's why monsters like Lavasioth can swim in lava and still be harmed by conventional weapons. If their skin were any tougher —say, invulnerable to lava— we'd need a dragon slayer just to scratch it —replied the head researcher, almost instinctively, before frowning, looking at the Hunter Master, and asking:—Wait… are you suggesting that even though it can produce powder for explosions... it doesn't use it because its body can't withstand them?
The Hunter Master just nodded.
—But it already went through a metamorphosis… Or how else do we explain the changes? —asked the commander's grandson, also the field team leader.
—The form they described… is completely different from what I saw before... from its body color to the crest and the bioluminescence. If it didn't undergo metamorphosis, it makes no sense —said Lyra, visibly concerned.
—While fighting her, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a different individual of the same species. We've been assuming it's a female because of the humanoid female features, but that might be a mistake. It's not human. This could be a case of sexual dimorphism —or maybe both males and females share those traits for reasons unrelated to gender.
—You've got a point, but even so, it would be strange for a monster to appear in pairs out of nowhere, especially during the Elder Dragon migration season —said the commander.
—And that's the other thing. While it's too early in the research to give it a classification, I'm at least 90% certain it's a new species of Elder Dragon. The problem? If it's a member of its species that just underwent metamorphosis, then it's still young. And while the Elder Dragon migration still holds many mysteries, we do know that the dragons who migrate tend to be older members of their species —added the head researcher.
—The Elder Dragon migration tends to affect the New World in ways we still don't understand. This monster's appearance may be a result of the migration, but not part of it —said the commander.
—Maybe we're looking at metamorphosis the wrong way. We compare it to creatures like Gravios or Gore Magala, but maybe it's more like a frog or Tetsucabra... tadpole, froglet, frog —said the field leader.
—Or maybe it wasn't able to complete its metamorphosis. Maybe most of it went through, but it couldn't develop the traits needed to fully use the nitro element —added Lyra.
—Both are valid options —said the commander. He clapped and continued:—Alright, here's what we'll do. The monster is wounded and likely still in the forest, unable to move too far. We'll send hunter patrols to search for it. For now, we'll assume it's a unique individual and not part of a larger group, though we can't rule out that there may be more. And since the Fifth Fleet's arrival is near, we'll have to work with fewer hands than I'd like. But in the end, our top priority is still the Elder Dragon migration. Understood?
—Yes, sir! —they all replied.
Just as the commander was about to dismiss everyone, a hunter entered with a serious look on his face.
—Sir, the team that went to clear the battle zone has returned.
—Do they have anything to report?
—No, sir. They didn't find anything indicating the monster's escape route. And... well, it's probably nothing…
Seeing the hunter hesitate, the commander narrowed his eyes and asked:
—What else do you have to report?
The hunter shifted uncomfortably under the commander's gaze but continued.
—Well... I didn't think it was that important, but we couldn't find César's charge blade at the scene. We assumed it might've been destroyed in the explosion, but we also didn't find any fragments. It's like someone took it.
—I see —the commander didn't think much of it either, and was about to dismiss the hunter when the head researcher jumped from his seat and shouted:
—Hunter Master! What did the monster's upper limbs look like?
The Hunter Master, confused by the researcher's outburst, answered with some hesitation in his voice:
—Well... they were black, with feathers running from the elbows to the tips of the fingers… which ended in claws-
—No! Not that! Tell me, did its hands have a thumb?—Now that you mention it… yes, actually, it did have a thumb on each hand... — The Hunter Master's eyes widened in horror as he realized what the head researcher was implying.
He looked at him, visibly agitated even through his armor, and asked urgently:—Tell me you're not suggesting what I think you're thinking.
Everyone around them looked confused and a bit uneasy, until the commander finally understood what they were both suggesting. His eyes widened.
—The monster took the weapon... to use it.
—…!
No one said a word. The sheer thought of a monster wielding a weapon stunned them into silence. It sounded more fantastical than the existence of the White Fatalis.
The silence stretched on for several seconds until the head researcher spoke again.
—I thought it was just a coincidence... but maybe one of the reasons it wasn't using the nitro wasn't only because it couldn't withstand the explosions, but because it couldn't create the spark needed to ignite them. So, when it struck the chains together, it wasn't just some instinctual gesture — it struck them knowing it would cause a spark and trigger the explosion.
The room remained silent, everyone processing the implications, until the head researcher continued.
—We already knew it was more intelligent than the average monster… but this puts it on par with humanoid species.
A sepulchral silence fell over the war room.
—Phageris —the head researcher finally said, almost dazed, before adding— Phageris will be the name of this species.
Just a little clarification, the idea that fire-element and nitro-attribute monsters have a special characteristic in their skin was my invention. I added it because I never found it logical that a monster like Lavasioth, which can literally swim in lava, still has skin tough enough to swim in lava but can still be damaged by hunter weapons. This doesn't work with biology or physics.And not to mention that it is dense enough to sink in lava, strong enough to swim in it, and has a bodily cooling system good enough to prevent itself from cooking from the inside out due to the temperature.And the name Phageris comes from Phagein (Greek: devour) and Ris (Latin: laughter / creature), so the name can be translated as devouring creature.