In a vast forest teeming with dragons of all kinds, two figures were currently weaving their way through the trees—each carrying a large egg.
"Laios! We grabbed the wrong eggs!!"
Kairo Retsu bolted through the foliage, egg in arms.
"These are Flying Wyvern eggs!!"
"I knew it! I thought the spot we found them was weird—there were no signs of herbivores living nearby!" Laios ran close behind, refusing to let go of the egg he carried. "This is incredible! I never thought we'd get chased by two dragons at once!"
As Laios spoke, a massive shadow swept overhead, the dark shape of a flying monster attempting to crash down through the canopy to seize the two.
"ROOAAARR!!"
A tremendous roar shook the forest—two enraged Rathalos, having lost their eggs, scoured the skies with murderous fury.
A blast of blistering flame scorched a patch of trees just ahead of the two. The sudden inferno turned leaves to cinders, forcing them to change course.
"Even the Rathalos here breathe fire?! What's the mechanism?! Do they also combust things they eat? The temperature of that fire—it's way hotter than the Rathalos we slew back home!"
Even as he sprinted, Laios gushed with excitement:
"I just saw some of the rocks melting! How do these Rathalos produce such high-temperature flames? How do they withstand that kind of heat themselves?!"
"We can look it up in the Hunter's Notes back at camp!!"
Kairo Retsu screamed as he ran, clutching the egg.
"It's fine! We just need to make it to that spot! Once we get there—"
"Once we reach camp, the Felynes will protect us!"
With the camp just ahead, Kairo Retsu was driven by pure survival instinct, speeding up as he dashed forward with the egg.
His increased speed opened up a distance between him and Laios.
But then…
A Rathian clad in emerald green scales burst through the trees with sheer weight alone, crashing through the vegetation—and in one clean chomp, she snatched up Kairo Retsu and his egg, then soared into the sky.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Kairo Retsu screamed in agony as he was carried off by the Rathian.
Laios didn't dare pause. He pressed forward and reached the camp, where he quickly stuffed the egg into a secure box guarded by Felynes. Finally, he sat down to rest, beaming.
"Wow! That was incredible!" Laios exclaimed, breathless.
"I can't believe the Rathalos ecology here is this fascinating!"
"Yes-nyan," said the Felyne managing the camp, picking up on Laios's enthusiasm.
"The male Rathalos is considered a highly dangerous monster, nicknamed 'King of the Skies' and 'Emperor of the Air'—the undisputed King of the Flying Wyverns, nyan!"
"I noticed—the green one was a female Rathian, right? Even though they're the same species, male and female have lots of differences. But in terms of combat ability, they seem pretty evenly matched."
Laios pulled out a notebook and started scribbling down observations.
"The way it attacked… the Rathian's hind limbs looked powerful. She smashed through trees and grabbed Kairo Retsu in one go."
"But the Rathalos stayed airborne the whole time, never landed, just kept using fire… is that a difference in fighting style?"
He mumbled as he took notes.
Only then did the cart arrive—carrying a half-dead Kairo Retsu. When the Felynes dumped him off, his face was full of despair.
"Damn it! I got eaten by both dragons at once!" he shouted in grief.
"If I hadn't equipped gear specifically for egg runs today, I'd have turned around and slaughtered them on the spot! Let those Flying Wyverns see the wrath of the New World! I'd chuck a Flash Bomb and—"
"Guildmaster! This place is amazing!"
Laios gripped Kairo Retsu's shoulders excitedly.
"You mentioned a bestiary, right? Does it have detailed records on all the dragons here!?"
"Yeah."
Kairo Retsu was still a bit dizzy from all the shaking.
"I actually know a ton of—"
"Really!?"
Laios's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Of course! Who do you think I am? I'm a veteran Hunter straight outta Kokoto Village!"
Kairo Retsu smugly puffed out his chest.
"For example, that breath weapon you were comparing to the dragons in your world?"
Kairo Retsu continued:
"These monsters have an internal organ called a Flame Sac. It lets them produce flame that explodes. The force is so intense, it even burns the Rathalos's own throat during the attack—but they regenerate the tissue rapidly."
"Rathalos are absolute masterpieces in this world! Their gear, their meat—even their flame-breath is used to roast barrels of booze, giving them a unique flavor! There's a ton of Rathalos variants too—they're found everywhere! They're practically a symbol of the natural order!"
Kairo Retsu stood tall, hands on hips, brimming with pride.
"Rathalos are eternal romance!!"
"OOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Laios furiously jotted down every fact Kairo Retsu spilled about Rathalos.
After a solid ten-minute frenzy of excited discussion, the two finally relaxed in the camp tent, cups in hand, ready for a drink.
"Today was amazing."
Laios looked out from the tent to the wilds beyond.
"Very few people ever discuss monsters with me… even if what we just talked about doesn't really count as monsters."
"We talkin' about monsters, all right."
Kairo Retsu was completely at ease.
"Once we rescue your sister, you can bring some of the ingredients here back for her to try."
"We're Hunting comrades!"
He gave Laios a thumbs-up.
"Let's see… Yeah! Our gathering hall is like a clubhouse! We can just enjoy everything this place has to offer!"
"We can't do it just yet, but Grandma Felyne told me—if we complete enough quests in the future, we'll be able to invite guests to the Gathering Hall!"
"So when the time comes, bring your friends! Your sister, Marcille, Senshi, Chilchuck—bring 'em all!"
Kairo Retsu grinned from ear to ear.
"Our Gathering Hall welcomes them all!"
Poll: What should replace Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT)?
Hey everyone,
I've decided to put Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT) on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to run a poll to see what you'd like me to work on next. Can't wait to see what you all pick!
Options:
As of Aug 24 the PATREON votes are
A brand new fanfic (picked by me) (4 Votes)
Continue a recommended fanfic (suggested by Readers and will be voted on Again) (6 Votes)
Two chapters a day for Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World (11 Votes)
Two chapters a day for My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?! ( 16 Votes)
Two chapters a day for Monster Hunter Grand Assembly ( 2 Votes)
📅 Voting will be open on Patreon for one week!
patreon.com/BestElysium