Rathlands [Monster Hunter] [ENG]

Chapter 7 (Tidal POV)

Plunging his alabaster head back into the warm water, King Tidal III let out a long sigh of well-being, small waves of the basin gently soothing his ivory scales. Turning on his back edged with deep blue spikes, he spat out a fountain-like spray of water.

"How sweet it is to relax and not care about anything ..." he thought with delight, letting himself float.

The sun, bright and warm, was at its zenith. The daytime star mercilessly darted its powerful rays over the entire Foam Kingdom, land of sea, swamps, and rice fields, causing a damp and heavy climate. As usual, the Foamians exercised their daily nap in a place where were water and warmth. Like rice, they were meant to be immersed in temperate water, full-exposed to the sun. The temperature of the water had to reach 25 to 30°C for the leviathans to come and sleep. This restorative nap seemed to be their only source of vital energy, and they were perfectly content with it. Just like tropical plants, they vegetated during the hottest hours of the day. Some rare toddlers preferred to frolic in rice fields, hot spring pools, or the ocean rather than resting there. However, they were only a minority of the population, as this obligatory rest was sacred.

It was a custom that had become law: they would take a nap from noon to three o'clock, period. In other words, one had a relatively early and light lunch, so that one could take full advantage of the sun's rays afterwards.

The Foamian king returned to a prone position, then raised the tip of his scaly nose and back from the water like a crocodile.

"What if I went to the terms, then? Maybe Laerob will be there, so we could talk ... Mmmh ... But what could we talk about ? ... I don't know ... I'll decide about the subject later ... In an hour maybe ... Or two ... ? I don't knooooow..." Tidal thought softly.

Slightly opening his closed eyes, he was assaulted by the blinding and aggressive sunlight that attacked his retinas.

"Aaaaaaoouuch ..." he scolded, closing them immediately, in a slow reflex.

He then felt a bubble come to life and burst on his snout.

"Irisée ... ?" he pronounced in his sleepy voice, raising his head slightly, and braving once again the bright light to open his eyes.

"Yes?" the graceful Mizutsune answered, sliding into the basin in which he had been drowsing for some time, spreading soapy foam on the ground.

The Mizutsunes were a species of leviathans of great agility and remarkable grace. Indeed, they were able to naturally secrete a soapy, foam-like fluid that could be transformed into bubbles. But more generally, this liquid was used to help them move more fluidly, in particular by letting their serpentine bodies with purple fur slide over them. In this way, they developed increased speed and steering precision. These displacements were so aesthetic and appreciated for their elegance that, during the rare animated festivals of the Ecumian king, where he received Khryselios and Chryselene, some Mizutsunes of the kingdom agreed to present a dance in the moonlight simply magical. While the leviathan dancers moved in a rhythmic way, snaking and leaping, lit by the ardent undulating glow of the braziers, the bubbles they produced rose gently in the night skies, mixing with the Thunderbugs. The marriage of these two flying elements gave the scene a truly mystical and fabulous cachet. Often, this ritual was accompanied by a few panpipes or bamboo xylophone players. Alas, this did not happen often.

"Why ... Are you just arriving now?" the Ivory Lagiacrus yawned.

" I was making final preparations for tomorrow ... You know, the departure of our soldiers to support our friend Khryselios ..." Irisée explained gently.

"Departure? Soldieeerss ? What are you talking about?" Tidal articulated with difficulty, his jaws numb.

The queen looked embarrassed, and nervously fiddled with her claws.