Have you ever--
Yeah nah, you’ll probably understand right now that Monster Hunter has more than its fair share of terrifying monsters. From the 1st to World, you can bet that you’ll one into one or two monsters that will up and terrify you. One set of monsters that may unsettle you are elder dragons.
Their existence is bizarre in concept, so I’ll be brief on them: an elder dragon is a type of monster that cannot be classified in any other terms. The monster Rathalos is a Flying Wyvern, Odogaron is a Fanged Wyvern, Khezu is a Pseudo-Flying Wyvern, and the Nerscylla belongs to the Temnoceran group. Elder Dragons fall into a category complete outside of those classifications, and it’s far more than just them looking different.
Elder dragons almost seem to have their own kinds of powers innately within them. Some of their powers just affect them, like the Chameleos that can go invisible at will. Or like the Dah’ren Morhan, a monster you encounter at the beginning of the 4th game, whom swims through massive seas of sand, and continually threatens sandy cities and boats. Then you have elder dragons that physically affect the weather, like a Kirin or a Kushala Daora. The one I’m talking about tonight is one that looks like something straight out of Bloodborne.
Why do I say that?
Well Look At This Guy!!
Vaal Hazak; one of the many Elder Dragons that you will face in Monster Hunter World, and a monster that could fit in any of From Software games and you wouldn't even notice. You may notice that it’s skin looks flayed and just hanging off of it. This is what’s earned it the name “Corpse Coat Dragon”, which doesn’t help considering that when you do find Vaal Hazak, he’s coming out of a mountain of bones, corpses, and viscera. And sucking the life force out of the monsters around it. “How?” you may ask? Well, we’d have to go back a bit to when you first hit where he lives, which is Rotten Vale.
At one of the lower levels of Rotten Vale, you find yourself wading through a sort of persistent miasma that’s hovering above the ground at about your knees. This miasma is known as Effluvium, and it coats and saps you, sticking to your lungs and giving you a persistent cough. Endure it for long enough without using a Nulberry on yourself, and you’re rewarded with your lifeforce being halved.
Now, think back to how you first see this Elder Dragon. In a pile of bones, you see various smaller monsters hanging around the peak of the mound. After you pass by one of the dead ones, the others take notice and start stalking towards you. Seconds later, the effluvium that they’re coated in is sucked through their mouths...and they collapse almost instantly.
Most of Vaal’s attacks hit you with Effluvium...and a goodly chunk of it too.
...what happens when it sucks that in?
...Yeah, thinking about that thing just creeps me out even more.
…
…
…
...I think I saw something behind you.
images from http://monsterhunter.wikia.com, www.gaminginstincts.com, video and image from Youtube