Seeing poison mist rise from the Chameleos's mouth, Altaïr immediately broke off his attack and retreated at full speed.
Although he carried plenty of Antidote G and Herbal Medicine, that did not mean he could withstand the Chameleos's deadly poison head-on.
Dark-purple venom atomized into a plume and gushed forth, spreading across a wide area before the Chameleos as it swept its head from side to side.
Wherever the purple mist settled, plants withered, while insects, reptiles, and other small creatures died in the blink of an eye.
Having reached a safe distance in time, Altaïr felt a flicker of relief.
According to Kral, a Chameleos could use ultra-high-frequency vibrations in its throat to atomize the venom stored within its body and release it mixed into its mist.
The mist diluted the toxin, but gave it an enormous area of effect. Given the volume of mist this Chameleos had released earlier, such an attack would have left nowhere to hide.
Having depleted much of its internal water reserves with that large-scale release, however, this Chameleos could now only atomize its venom and spit it out directly.
Without mist to carry it, the toxic vapor, far denser than air, spread slowly and pooled near the ground like liquid, creeping sluggishly across the surface.
As long as he avoided a direct hit from the venomous breath and stayed clear of the places where the vapor settled, he should be fine.
The instant Altaïr reached that conclusion, the Chameleos showed him that an Elder Dragon, especially one with extensive experience fighting Hunters, was not so easily outmaneuvered.
It reared up and began beating the broad, thick wings that looked so incongruous on its peculiar body.
The powerful wind posed little threat to a Hunter by itself. Caught in the gale, however, the stagnant toxic vapor instantly formed a dark-purple wall of mist that swept toward Altaïr.
His pupils contracted. Given the poison cloud's range and speed, there was no way he could evade it.
Poisoning was now unavoidable. All he could do was minimize his exposure and find the right moment to take medicine afterward.
Altaïr lowered his head and charged forward, seeking to cross the deadly wall of mist as quickly as possible and limit the time he spent inside it.
The instant he plunged into the toxic mist, he held his breath, covered the grille of his full-face helmet with one palm, and even closed his eyes for a moment.
The cloud driven forward by the Chameleos's wings was only a few meters thick, and Altaïr crossed it in less than a second.
He felt nothing unusual immediately after bursting through the other side.
After all, the Brute Tigrex Armor Set was fairly well sealed, and covering the helmet grille with his palm had isolated him from the outside air to some extent. He had also spent very little time inside the mist, so perhaps...
No sooner had the thought entered his mind than his throat began to burn, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Only a trace of toxic vapor had slipped through the gaps in his armor and settled on his skin, but that tiny amount was more than enough to make him suffer.
An acidlike burning sensation ate inward from his skin and reached his organs in the blink of an eye. It felt as though his insides were on fire.
His heart rate surged to its limit and his breathing grew ragged, yet his brain seemed unable to draw in any oxygen. His vision blurred behind blood-red afterimages, while a piercing ringing reverberated through his skull.
Still running, he suddenly lost all strength in his limbs and nearly collapsed face-first onto the ground.
So this is... the deadly poison of an Elder Dragon?
Without hesitating, Altaïr flipped up his visor while he could still move, pulled the Herbal Medicine hidden inside his collar, and tried to shove it into his mouth without even peeling away the outer wax seal.
At that very moment, the nearby Chameleos lashed out with its long tongue. It aimed straight for the Herbal Medicine at his lips and snatched the pill away in the blink of an eye.
The creature clearly knew that Hunters could use medicine to purge toxins and heal their injuries.
It was deliberately preventing him from taking it!
"?!"
Altaïr was shocked to have lost a dose of Herbal Medicine.
The toxin ravaging his body was far too potent. At this rate, he would lose the ability to move within ten or twenty seconds and could be dead within a minute.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his legs back into motion and pulled a second Herbal Medicine from beneath his vambrace.
The Chameleos had stolen from him once and would naturally try again. To keep it from snatching the second pill as he swallowed it, Altaïr decided to get moving first, then take the medicine while rolling beneath its tongue.
His condition was terrible, however, and his steps were unsteady. In truth, he had little confidence that he could evade the Chameleos's lightning-fast tongue.
Seeing his plight, Nadia rushed closer. She held down the trigger and poured fire into the Chameleos's head, trying to cover her companion.
The Chameleos endured the searing pain of the Flaming Ammo, determined to finish off Altaïr first.
Its insect-hunting eyes, blessed with astonishing motion tracking, remained fixed on the running Hunter. Its mucus-coated tongue tensed, ready to strike.
"Boss, meow!" Sajji discarded the rocket launcher and sprinted toward him.
He also carried Herbal Medicine and could administer it to Altaïr in an emergency. Whether the Chameleos would snatch the pill from his paws as well... Sajji had no time to consider that now.
Suddenly, a swift shadow streaked past him, even calling back, "You're too slow, meow!"
Just as the tongue shot toward Altaïr in the middle of his diving roll, ready to snatch the second Herbal Medicine from his hand, the shadow leapt high.
It was Clawdia!
Steel claws wreathed in pitch-black fighting spirit crossed to meet the Chameleos's long tongue.
The impact knocked Clawdia out of the air, but she forcefully swatted the Chameleos's tongue aside at the same time.
Altaïr seized the opportunity and managed to swallow the Herbal Medicine.
The effectiveness of a high-grade medicine carefully compounded by a master pharmacist did not disappoint. The deadly poison spreading through Altaïr's body was immediately brought under control and gradually neutralized, while the medicine's healing properties began repairing the damage it had caused.
After a few breaths, Altaïr felt considerably better. He wiped the blood from his nose and mouth and quickly rose to his feet.
"Thanks!"
Clawdia twisted in midair and landed steadily, grumbling in reply, "You really are a handful, meow!"
Clawdia's arrival lifted Altaïr's spirits. She always stayed close to Isis. If she was here, then...
A thunderous "BOOM!" rang out as Isis shot from between the trees like a cannonball leaving its barrel.
The heavy Gunlance came crashing down toward the Chameleos's head. Having retracted its tongue, the Chameleos quickly ducked and avoided the powerful blow.
Isis landed on both feet, driving the Gunlance's blade into the ground and carving a deep furrow. She slid backward, using the weapon to bleed off the momentum of her missed Blast Dash.
She immediately raised her Large Shield and charged wordlessly at the opponent before her.
Thick-skinned as it was, the Chameleos did not fear a collision, but a head-on clash was not its style.
It took a deep breath as dark-purple poison mist churned inside its mouth, ready to erupt as a deadly breath attack in the next instant.
"Watch out!" Altaïr shouted.
Isis acted as though she had not heard him and continued her headlong charge.
The venomous breath struck her Large Shield head-on, and the roiling poison mist swallowed her figure.
There was no question that she had been poisoned. A shield could not block poison mist...
Altaïr gritted his teeth and rushed closer, ready to buy Isis time to take medicine, when another thunderous shelling report rang out.
Using Blast Dash again, Isis shot straight out of the poison mist and reached the Chameleos in the blink of an eye.
The Chameleos visibly froze. It could not understand how someone who had taken its venomous breath head-on could remain completely unaffected.
It had been ready to steal her medicine again, so why had she flown straight into its face instead?
Taking advantage of its momentary confusion, Isis brought the Gunlance down hard on the Chameleos's horn with all the force of her Blast Dash, knocking its head backward.
Isis landed before the Chameleos without the slightest pause, swung her Gunlance, and unleashed a Full Burst as she pressed her ferocious assault.
Altaïr skirted the poison mist and rushed to the Chameleos at full speed, ready to cover Isis with an all-out attack. The same question troubling the Chameleos arose in his mind.
How was she unaffected by the poison? He could just barely explain the Blast Dash as Isis forcing out one powerful strike before the venom fully took hold.
But judging by the relentless offensive that followed, she did not look poisoned at all!
And why was she so quiet? Where was her usual "Hyaaah!"?
"Are you all right?" Altaïr asked as he joined her suppressive assault, swinging his giant scythe.
After completing a round of her "Gymnastic" combo, Isis slammed the butt of her Gunlance into the ground and performed a Quick Reload.
She even spared a moment to give Altaïr a thumbs-up, signaling that she was fine, yet still said nothing.
Only then did Altaïr notice that Isis's cheeks were bulging as though she were holding something in her mouth.
"...Did you put the Herbal Medicine in your mouth beforehand?"
"Mmph!" Isis nodded smugly.
She immediately resumed her fierce assault on the Chameleos, her smug expression seeming to say:
Just try stealing the medicine from my mouth, if you dare!