Altaïr was certain he had never heard such a roar before, meaning this was not any Monster he had ever dealt with.
He pulled aside the nervous caravan leader and said quickly, "Besides the Jaggi, there's some kind of large Monster nearby. I can't identify what it is, nor am I confident I can drive it away.
Do your best to calm the Aptonoth and stay hidden here. I'll go deal with the Jaggi and try to lure the large Monster away.
If you see me fire a red SOS Flare, it means I've failed, but I'll do my best to hold it off and buy you time to escape.
Leave the cargo here for now; we can come back for it once we're safe."
Altaïr had offered the best possible solution, and as the employer, he couldn't ask for more.
"Be careful, brother," Karim said softly.
Altaïr nodded and ran out of the camp with Sajji.
The immediate goal was to eliminate the Jaggi, as it was almost certain they were targeting the caravan.
As for that unknown large Monster, it was best not to provoke it. Perhaps it was just passing through and had no intention of attacking the caravan.
Altaïr comforted himself with these thoughts.
But deep down, he knew the chances of coexisting peacefully with that large Monster were slim; after all, that roar earlier didn't sound like it came from a creature with a mild temper.
Following the direction of the earlier Jaggi howls, the hunter and his Felyne arrived at the muddy marsh they had passed earlier. Sure enough, the Jaggi were there.
Altaïr quickly crouched down, pulling Sajji's head down with him.
Because that unknown large Monster was here too.
Under the hazy moonlight, the true form of the Monster was finally revealed to them.
It was about thirteen to fourteen meters long, with a compact body structure. Its thick shell was caked in mud, and coupled with its massive, shovel-like head, even without encountering one before, Altaïr immediately recognized this Monster's identity.
Barroth, a Brute Wyvern that inhabits deserts and muddy marshes.
Often lurking in muddy swamps, it has a habit of coating itself in semi-solid mud to enhance its defense and protect itself. People in desert regions also call it the "Child of the Mire."
According to books and guides, although Barroth feeds on termites and insects, it is temperamental and highly territorial.
It will not hesitate to attack any Monster that invades its territory, showing no fear even against large Flying Wyverns like Rathalos or Diablos.
Clearly, the Jaggi that had followed the scent of livestock here were also seen as intruders.
It roared, planted its shovel-like head on the ground, and with a powerful push from its stout hind legs, charged at the shrieking Jaggi like an out-of-control giant mining cart.
A male Jaggi, caught off guard, was scooped up and sent flying.
Its body traced a high arc through the air before crashing onto the rocky ground over ten meters away. Its limbs twisted into unnatural shapes, and it fell silent without even a whimper. The other Jaggi scattered with panicked shrieks, but the Barroth clearly had no intention of letting them escape. It swung its head sideways, sending another Jaggi flying, then whipped its hammer-like tail to smash one that had retreated to its flank against the rocky wall.
Though these two Jaggi didn't meet instant deaths like their companion, their bones were shattered as they collapsed with pitiful wails, their demise merely a matter of time.
Witnessing the gruesome fate of its pack, the final Jaggi turned and fled without hesitation. But its running speed was no match for the Barroth's full-force charge attack. In moments, it was overtaken and bowled over.
Then, the Barroth opened its mouth, unnaturally large for an insect-eater, and clamped down viciously on the fleeing Jaggi's back. With a powerful head shake came a sickening "CRACK!" as the unfortunate monster's spine snapped, silencing it forever.
In just over a minute, all four Jaggi had been wiped out.
From a distance, the hunter and his Felyne companion swallowed hard. This thing was brutally efficient.
Having dealt with the intruders, the Barroth shook the Jaggi corpse from its jaws and slowly turned. Its beady eyes, protected by a solid head crest, locked onto their position.
Damn. Spotted.
Altaïr's mouth went dry. The marshside vegetation had mostly withered, offering little cover. He and Sajji had been cautiously backing away when the battle ended too abruptly, leaving them exposed to the Barroth's gaze.
If only they'd stayed hidden at the campsite. After eliminating the Jaggi pack, the Barroth might have simply returned to the mud without noticing them. Now they were trapped in this predicament.
"B-boss, what do we do meow?" Sajji stammered.
Altaïr's mind raced. Direct confrontation was the worst option.
The Guild rated Barroths as 3★ threats; not completely unbeatable for a hunter one rank below, but that armored shell combined with its secondary mud coating made penetration nearly impossible with his Hunter's Dagger. A Great Sword or Hammer of equivalent tier might have stood a chance.
Since fighting wasn't viable, running remained.
The Barroth likely hadn't detected the merchant caravan yet, perhaps mistaking the Aptonoth and camel scents for harmless herbivore herds. They absolutely couldn't lead it toward the merchants.
During these brief seconds of calculation, the Barroth scraped its hind legs against the ground, emitting low, rumbling growls; the unmistakable prelude to an attack.
With no time to hesitate, Altaïr whispered urgently: "Split up. It'll probably chase me. If you break away, circle back to camp and protect the caravan. I'll lose it on my own."
"Understood meow!"
Hunter and Felyne bolted in opposite directions.
Just as Altaïr predicted, the Barroth prioritized the larger, more threatening target... him.
Lowering its head, the monster exploded into motion with its powerful hind legs, initiating a full-force charge attack.
Having witnessed the male Jaggi's fate, Altaïr knew blocking was suicide. Neither the small shield on his right arm nor his Genprey Armor would save him from that impact. But he didn't rush to dodge immediately; evading too early would give the monster room to adjust its attack trajectory. Against monsters with high combat intelligence, he might even get pinned while getting up.
So, he forcibly suppressed his instinct to dodge right away, maintaining his original route at full speed while constantly looking back, repeatedly checking the distance between himself and the Barroth.
Only when the distance between them narrowed to less than ten meters did he suddenly dive sideways.
"Rumble–"
The Barroth, charging at full speed, thundered past him and continued for another thirty to forty meters before coming to a stop.
Meanwhile, Altaïr had already taken the opportunity to scramble up from the ground and sprint off in another direction.
Feeling mocked, the Barroth initiated another charge. In terms of straight-line sprinting speed, the hunter, with his much shorter stride, was no match for it.
Altaïr was quickly caught up. At the last moment, he once again evaded the potentially fatal strike with a dive.
The Barroth glared with its crimson beady eyes, turning around once more. Steam hissed from the vents on its head as the consecutive failed attacks fully ignited the fury within.
Altaïr's breathing grew somewhat ragged.
Apart from the merchant camp direction, which was off-limits, the surrounding terrain was largely flat and lacked obstacles; a significant disadvantage for him, who relied on agility but couldn't match the Barroth's sprinting speed.
If he kept running blindly like this, any misstep due to exhaustion could lead to a severe injury or even instant death.
Was fighting the only option left?
Altaïr focused on regulating his breath, raised his sword and shield, and warily watched his enraged opponent.
Engage in close-quarters combat, create openings, and seize a chance to escape.