King of the skies

The Rathian remained on alert for several minutes.

Fortunately, though Flying Wyverns were far more intelligent than ordinary beasts, they still lacked the clear logical reasoning and intellect of humans or Felynes.

After some time passed without any further movement, she lay down again to continue resting, leaving Gordon and Porkchop no choice but to lie down together with miserable expressions.

It seemed they would have to wait until the Rathian woke up and left her nest before considering an escape.

Time passed, second by second, minute by minute, as the Rathian slept.

Even after night fell, the Rathian showed no sign of waking. Gordon and Porkchop could only take turns keeping watch and resting with their eyes closed, neither daring to actually fall asleep for fear of making noise unintentionally.

An entire night passed.

The stars sank from the sky, and a faint gray light crept across it.

Gordon and Porkchop both yawned silently, inwardly cursing the Rathian for sleeping so much.

And then, at last, the Rathian woke!

She shook her head as though trying to dispel her drowsiness, then slowly rose to her feet.

Warmed by her breath throughout the night, the eggs were now pleasantly warm. Using her wingtips, she stirred the thick ash in the nest and covered the eggs with the still-warm cinders to help maintain their temperature.

Only after finishing all this did she spread her wings wide. Powerful muscles drove her wing membranes through the air, generating enough lift to slowly raise her enormous body, weighing well over ten tons, into the sky.

She passed through the opening in the cave roof and finally vanished into the light of dawn.

Gordon and Porkchop did not move immediately. They remained prone for several more minutes, waiting until they were certain the Rathian had flown far away before getting up from the ground where they had spent the night.

Gordon twisted his waist vigorously, and his stiff back and spine released a rapid series of cracks. The aching numbness accumulated overnight seemed to fade along with them, drawing a pleased groan from him.

Time to leave!

Yet beneath the golden morning sunlight pouring through the opening overhead, the three wyvern eggs in the ash-covered nest radiated an almost magical allure, like treasure out of a legend.

Gordon and Porkchop exchanged a look.

The Rathian just left to find food. Even if she's quick, she'll need half an hour, maybe an hour, right?

If we don't steal an egg now, when will we?

With mischievous chuckles, the man and cat approached the eggs. After a brief comparison, Gordon chose the smallest one.

The reward's the same whether it's big or small, so why make things harder for myself? Let their mother take good care of those big, sturdy babies.

He took a vial of pale yellow medicine from his pack, tipped his head back, and drained it.

This special potion was called Dash Juice. While its effects lasted, it enhanced the drinker's stamina. Put simply, it made them tire less easily.

After all, carrying a huge, perfectly round egg over several kilometers of mountainous terrain was hard work. He had gone hungry all night, too; running out of strength halfway back would not do.

The Rathian's breath had heated the egg considerably, to the point that it was almost too hot to touch.

That was hardly a problem, though. He was wearing a full set of armor, and this much heat would not burn him.

"Heave-ho!"

Wrapping both arms around the wyvern egg, Gordon lifted it and tested its weight. It was manageable-at least it weighed less than his Buster Sword.

Its rounded shape made it hard to get a good grip, though, and the thick liquid sloshing inside the shell kept shifting its center of gravity, making it awkward to walk.

"Go, go, go! Porkchop!"

Gordon did not want to spend another second in this nest. Every second sooner he left meant another second to put more distance behind him before the Rathian returned. This was no time to dawdle!

Porkchop led the way, with Gordon jogging close behind. They raced through the crack in the rock, out of the nest, and plunged into the lush mountain forest.

The moment he entered the woods, Gordon let out a deep sigh of relief.

Even with the Rathian's excellent eyesight, spotting them from high above through the overlapping layers of canopy would be no easy task. As long as they stayed careful and chose routes with dense vegetation, nothing should go wrong.

Perhaps it was the Dash Juice, or perhaps it was his delight at nearing the end of this lucrative quest after a frightening but harmless ordeal. Either way, Gordon felt as though his legs had wings, and he ran faster and faster.

Several kilometers of mountain trails flashed past behind them. They only had to cross the last stretch of pebbled riverbank ahead to reach the camp at the bottom of the valley!

The riverbank was flat, making it far easier to traverse than the uneven woodland trails tangled with roots and vines. Unfortunately, the lack of canopy overhead left him feeling rather exposed.

Gordon sighed inwardly.

Still, it should be fine. The Rathian probably hasn't returned to her nest and discovered the missing egg yet, right?

We've got this!

Just as an excited grin spread across the young hunter's face and he began imagining what to eat at his celebratory feast back home, Porkchop's shriek and the howl of rushing wind exploded beside his ears.

"Look out, meow!!"

The danger sense and muscle reflexes honed through years in the hunting grounds worked together. Without stopping to think, Gordon threw the precious but cumbersome egg aside.

At the same time, he used the recoil from shoving the egg away to launch himself in the opposite direction with all his strength.

Crack!

The huge egg shattered against the pebbled riverbank, splashing thick golden liquid everywhere.

But Gordon had no attention to spare for any of that.

A massive, dark red shape swooped through the spot where he had just stood, carrying a savage force that seemed capable of tearing everything apart.

Enormous talons, each considerably larger than his entire body, gouged into the pebbled bank and carved a deep, conspicuous trench through it.

Scrambling to his feet, Gordon swallowed hard.

Had he reacted even half a second later, those talons would have reduced him to a mangled heap.

Having missed its target, the dark red figure pulled up with an agility that belied its size, turned through a half circle in the air, and hovered overhead, looking down at him.

"ROOOAAAAARRR!"

A terrifying roar unlike anything he had ever experienced swept across the entire riverbank in a deafening wave. Gordon and Porkchop involuntarily clapped their hands over their ears, unable to move.

This was the roar of a Flying Wyvern!

"Rathalos! Fuck, there wasn't just a Rathian?!" Gordon looked up at the enormous Flying Wyvern soaring overhead like a hunting falcon and could not help swearing.

He finally understood why Porkchop, with his keen hearing and sense of smell, had been unable to warn him sooner.

True to his title of "King of the Skies," the Rathalos had approached at tremendous speed in a dive like a bird of prey striking its quarry. Porkchop had simply had no time to react!

Out of the corner of his eye, Gordon glanced at the shattered wyvern egg on the riverbank.

Failure was now inevitable, but he had no room to feel frustrated or regretful about the quest.

Judging by the visibly enraged Rathalos, he seemed to have realized that the puddle on the ground was his unborn child. Hopefully, he would not call the child's mother over next.

Heh, heh, heh... am I going to make it back to the village alive this time?