The Hidden Lives of Monsters

Purple Flames

When hellfire is produced, it's excreted through the mouth, and special pores in the gaps between the plates of armor. This action subsequently lets out a wailing sound and coats parts of the body in a purple aura, though sometimes if the gasses are increasingly volatile, the color will be pink instead. Once the fumes make contact with oxygen, they become much more unstable and risk exploding.

Although these explosions can be a problem, Magnamalos can also use them to their advantage. They will swing their tail to send the gasses out as projectiles, or use the coated parts to enhance their physical attacks. They're even capable of propelling themselves in different directions while in midair via the blasts. Even when not erupting, hellfire can still be useful. It's commonly deployed by the fanged wyverns to scare other monsters off kills. However, there's still the danger of the fumes detonating at point-blank range, and although their powerful armor can protect them from the smaller eruptions, the larger ones still risk causing damage, something these animals simply can't afford. To counteract this problem, Magnamalos periodically need to move parts of their body quickly to disperse the fumes, causing them to erupt at a safe distance.

Although this problem could simply be negated by not eating bone marrow, for these fanged wyverns, especially males like Dagger, it is notan option. A male Magnamalo's status amongst other members of its species is determined by the state of its armor which, although it naturally grows over time, needs a lot of nutrients to become very durable. Bone marrow is especially important to this process because of its high nutritional value. The males with the most intact plating and ornate growths are much more likely to succeed in reproducing.

Only males with the largest, most ornate, and undamaged horns will be able to mate, as the presence and immaculate upkeep of these almost completely useless appendages indicate that these animals are strong and capable, everything a female is looking for. However, if the rack is ever damaged, even if it's little more than a broken tip, these individuals will never be able to mate again, as this will be seen as a sign of weakness; even if the individual has had domination over a harem for years, this one thing will immediately end its ability to breed, with all females rejecting it.

Since the horns and armor of these animals can't grow back, severe damage to these parts effectively ends any chance males have to pass on their genome, yet this doesn't mean that these individuals will just lay down and die. While the disappearance of mating privileges is devastating, male Magnamalos will continue to expand their territories and become more violent as they're no longer held back by the state of their defenses, and if they manage to survive long enough, they may become a Scorned Magnamalo.

Luckily for Dagger, his horns and armor are still undamaged, meaning he still has a decent chance at finding some mates. But at this moment, he has other things on his mind, primarily food. As the rain keeps pouring down onto him, the Magnamalo sniffs his surroundings, trying to pick up the scent of anything that could be a meal. Stepping silently through the undergrowth, the fanged wyvern continues to sniff everything that could have been used recently as a scent post. The rain may make it harder for him to track a potential meal, but Dagger's sense of smell still makes it possible for him to trail the stronger odors despite this.

After some time, Dagger manages to pick up something and quickly starts following the aroma, his rapid footfall splattering against the moist dirt. Rushing through the undergrowth, the fanged wyvern soon finds himself clambering up a rocky slope until he reaches the top and looks around, spotting an Arzuros standing over something. Making sure that his body isn't emitting hellfire, Dagger silently begins descending the slopes, the rain masking the sound of his footsteps and his appearance. As he gets closer, the Magnamalo gets more and more cautious; despite his superior weaponry and defenses, the fanged wyvern knows that the claws of this fanged beast could still do some nasty damage, especially to his unprotected underside.