Does anybody love N e r g i g a n t e as much as I do? I bet not! So let’s talk about the E a t e r o f E l d e r s.
At the end of I c e b o r n e, it was posited to be a naturally occurring force that b a l a n c e s discrepancies in the ecosystem, especially when these issues occur as a result of other Elder Dragons. Whether enabled by the intelligence that Elder Dragons are both feared and respected for or by instinct, it hounded Z o r a h M a g d a r o s as the E l d e r C r o s s i n g unfolded and it turned out that if Zorah had reached its destination, its bioenergy would have been devoured by X e n o ’ J i i v a, which is another force that could have threatened ecological balance.
And you know what? I think this mother fucker could have killed Zorah if the Commission didn’t interfere. Not for certain but considering the way the R u i n e r form took out S h a r a I s h v a l d a ( targeting the head directly and as immediately as possible ), the same tactics could have enabled it to eventually kill the massive dragon as well. This could be evidence that it is acutely aware of how to hunt abnormal Elder Dragons and that’s besides being gifted with highly sophisticated genetic engineering.
If you’ve ever hunted Nergigante in World and bothered to take the time to examine it, you’ll find that its spines have patterns in them. They are segmented and the likeliest reason for that is that they are designed to break. Nergigante throws its body around a l o t. Its most dangerous attack involves flying into the air and s l a m m i n g into the ground, impaling targets with its spines, crushing them under the mercurial forces or consuming them in explosions that send spines flying in several directions. The fact that its spikes are segmented actually allows them to diffuse some of the force, protecting Nergigante from damaging itself when it throws its heft around the way it does.
Did you know motorcycle helmets are segmented as well so that they break when they hit something and diffuse the energy, thereby taking some of the impact away from your head? Yeah, Nergi has that shit in his spines.
But of course, he falls short when placed in opposition to the r e a l monsters, the B l a c k D r a g o n s. The ones that herald the apocalypse. Or . . . does he?
In the case of R u i n e r N e r g i g a n t e, it gains the ability to sprout m e t a l l i c spikes. If the sharpness of your weapon doesn’t measure up, your attacks will bounce off. You can mitigate this growth by staying aggressive but if you don’t and you allow it to grow it all out . . . it starts to look downright a p o c a l y p t i c itself.
Wonder why the Monster Hunter team would have Nergigante take on an appearance that is reminiscent of the black dragons in the lore if not to hint that it will at least s t a n d a c h a n c e of restoring the balance regardless of what the threat is. With the exception of F a t a l i s maybe, considering how it can melt metal with its breath. But then again, would Nergigante’s instincts even tell it to attack Fatalis? Fatalis itself has also been a corrective force so it’s worth questioning.
This is how Novus views Nergigante in the grand scheme of things. He even holds a silent r e v e r e n c e for the creature and it will show in my roleplay.