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MHD Chapter 73: In Her Time of Need
🕑 Added 2025-07-28 21:05:33 +0000 UTCWhen Aki returned to the nest, Logan’s eyes widened in disbelief—then, a surge of fury erupted within him.
He had never seen Aki in such a pitiful state.
Her body was marred with shattered scales in multiple places, and as she moved, thin streams of crimson blood oozed out. One of the barbed spines on her wings had snapped clean in the middle. But worst of all was the membrane on her right wing.
What was once an elegant, mesmerizing pattern was now stained with blood and filth, the edges torn apart—clearly ripped violently by some ferocious creature.
“Wu-wu~”
Having finally made it back to the nest, Aki whimpered like a wounded beast. Limping and swaying, she reached her spot with Logan’s support—and then collapsed, unable to hold on any longer.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes—filled with fear and unease—gazed up at Logan.
At that moment, Aki looked like a child who had been bullied out in the world and returned, battered and broken, seeking comfort from the only one she trusted.
Logan swallowed down his grief and rage. Tenderly, he extended one wing and draped it over her back, gently soothing her. Then, with great care, he used his tongue to clean the wounds along her body.
Under Logan’s continual comfort, Aki finally relaxed. Her eyes slowly closed, and she slipped into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes brought over some prepared herbs and honey harvested from stored healing Vespoids.
Only after receiving Logan’s silent approval did they cautiously begin applying the medicine to Aki’s injuries.
For wounds of this severity, even a creature with a monster’s natural resilience couldn’t rely on regeneration alone—serious long-term damage would remain without proper care.
Sleep and food alone wouldn’t be enough to bring full recovery.
And the medicines the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes had in storage were primitive at best—limited in both effectiveness and quantity.
For Aki’s condition, it was like a drop in the ocean.
That was why Logan hadn’t let his anger take over. He knew full well that finding the one who did this to Aki wasn’t the priority. The most urgent task was to stabilize her injuries—to at least prevent them from worsening.
And so, Logan stayed at her side for an entire day, eating only the emergency rations the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes had set aside.
When Aki awoke, her gaze darted about in panic—until she spotted Logan still by her side. Only then did she let out a breath of relief.
“Wu~”
A soft, pitiful whimper escaped her. Logan leaned down and gently licked her cheek.
Reassured, Aki finally relaxed fully.
Despite the pain, she forced herself to eat a bit, then drifted back into a heavy sleep.
Logan, watching her, couldn’t help but feel a growing restlessness. He was desperate to know what creature had done this to her. Each time his eyes fell on her battered form, the fire within him blazed hotter.
Finally, when Aki awoke for the second time, her spirit had improved somewhat. After some coaxing from Logan, she managed to recount what had happened.
But Aki had never seen that kind of monster before. And with the Fire Wyverns lacking a detailed language system, the only thing Logan learned was that the attacker had been a Brute Wyvern—one completely unknown to her.
What’s more, that Brute Wyvern had been incredibly powerful, not particularly slow either, and most terrifyingly—it had fought Aki head-on the entire time. Even while taking her potent venom headfirst, it had endured and beaten her into such a miserable state.
If Aki hadn’t mimicked Logan by spitting explosive fireballs at her own feet to drive the enemy back and take flight just in time, she likely would have fallen right then and there.
Watching Aki sink into a deep sleep, a cold gleam flashed through Logan’s eyes. He ordered the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes to tend to her carefully, then took off without delay—flying straight toward the hunting ground where Aki had fought.
He wanted to find out what kind of monster it was—and whether there were any traces left behind.
Logan paid no mind to the toll on his stamina, racing across the sky at full speed. Time was short. Aki’s condition was still unstable, and he needed to stay by her side.
Fortunately, the site of the battle wasn’t hard to locate. Even if two ordinary monsters clashed, the resulting environmental destruction would be significant—let alone one involving a monster of Aki’s level.
“Fang fragments?”
Before long, Logan found shards of teeth left behind during the fight. He had never seen them before, but the moment he laid eyes on them, he knew exactly what kind of creature they came from.
Of course. Only something of that ecological niche could inflict such grievous wounds on Aki—let alone ground her for so long.
At the same time, Logan recalled the strange occurrences in the forest lately. There was no need to think twice—this had to be the work of a Deviljho.
That title of “Ecological Destroyer” wasn’t given lightly.
To blatantly ravage the food chain of an entire region, to throw an ecosystem into chaos like a natural disaster—and yet somehow evade being targeted by the world’s will itself... That was Deviljho’s unique ecological behavior.
In his previous life, there was a reason the “invasive apex predator” monsters were separated from ordinary creatures—not just because of their strength or gameplay mechanics, but because their ecological patterns were fundamentally different from any other lifeform.
Now that he knew the enemy was a Deviljho, there wasn’t the slightest trace of hesitation in Logan’s heart. Even if it had been an Elder Dragon, he would’ve been ready to charge in and take a swing at it—let alone a Deviljho, the most destructive of the “invasive apex predator” monsters, yet also one of the easiest to target and counter.
A whole day passed, and the Deviljho's trail wasn’t so easily found. But considering the species’ habits, now that it had entered the Ancient Tree region, it was only a matter of time before it showed itself again.
For now, the most urgent matter was Aki’s injuries. If not handled properly, the hidden damage left behind could shorten her lifespan—and worse, severely hinder her future metamorphosis.
The previous Thunder Wolf Wyvern leader had been the perfect example of that.
Logan took to the skies, hovering high above, his eyes cold as he gazed down at the forest below.
That Deviljho was still somewhere in that forest.
His revenge wouldn't have to wait long.
On the way back, he hunted down an herbivore and carried the prey back toward the nest.
But before he even landed, he heard Aki’s roar. Alarmed, he rushed inside—only to find Aki collapsed weakly in the nest. The wounds that had finally stopped bleeding had split open once more.
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader was frantically trying to explain something to her.
But Aki kept letting out sorrowful cries.
The bonds between a pair of Fire Wyverns were simple and intense. When one was gravely wounded, the other would usually remain by their side at all times—refusing even to leave the nest to hunt.
Even without food reserves, they would endure hunger for three or four days, staying put until their partner’s condition had fully stabilized.
This time, Aki had been awake for a while already, yet she hadn’t seen Logan once. No matter how much the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader tried to explain, the absence of her mate—his prolonged disappearance—left her despondent.
She had tried to struggle up, desperate to search for him.
But after relaxing, her seriously injured body couldn’t even lift itself. Overwhelmed by grief, tears welled at the corners of her eyes—one by one, falling as dragon’s tears.
Logan hastily dropped his prey, flapped his wings, and glided down to Aki’s side. The wind pressure alone forced the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader to stumble back several steps.
Facing Aki’s gaze, he let out a low, gentle growl and carefully wrapped his wings around her, softly nuzzling her cheek.
Feeling comforted, Aki lifted her head in response, continuously drawing in Logan’s scent, expressing the fear lingering in her heart.
Just like that, another day passed.
Aki spent most of her time asleep. Each time she awoke, she would hurriedly eat, snuggle up to Logan to reassure him, and then fall back asleep.
Her injuries had stopped worsening and she was gradually regaining some strength.
While she was awake, Logan brought up the idea of going out for a few days to look for medicinal herbs.
Although Aki was reluctant, she knew he was doing it for her sake, so she eventually agreed.
After putting Aki at ease, Logan picked up the basket made by the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes during the Chameleos incident. He brought along a Grimalkyne skilled in communication and flew toward the Astera outpost.
If Aki were to rely solely on her own regeneration, there was a high chance she would be left with hidden injuries, and the herbal remedies used by the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes weren’t very effective. Logan immediately thought of the Research Commission’s medicine.
So inside the basket, along with the materials the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes had collected over the past few days, Logan also placed a few of his own reverse scales.
The reverse scales of an Arch-Tempered Rathalos—surely that would be enough to exchange for a good amount of healing medicine?
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