Glass or Diamond: Fairy's Wish

Episode 18: Monster Slayer VS. Silveryourd

Boring. Sand is boring. It scratches and irritates, it reflects the sun mercilessly, and it makes everything hot and dry. The desert stretches on far beyond what the eye can see, with no end in sight in any direction, even with the wisdom that, at least to the south, a large mountain range extends.

Prowling that desert are titanic creatures that prey on everything else, even each other. Some are great flying beasts, while others bury themselves in the sand and lie in wait. Though no one is quite certain how many colossi there are, one man is known to hunt them relentlessly.

Murtoa of Lakia, a human knight of unconventional means, lays on his stomach on a sand dune as he studies the environment ahead.

Lykha, the young fairy rescued by Murtoa from being stranded in the desert in an anti-magic capsule, hides her body under a blanket as the merciless sun beams down on them. She's sweating profusely, and Murtoa HAS to be even hotter. But, he doesn't give any indications of discomfort.

What he's doing, though, is hunting a monster.

Lykha studies the object protruding from the sand a ways ahead. It gives her chills, as a similar sight is very familiar to her. Though, thankfully, this one is already dead.

The protrusion is none other than the carcass of a gryduke, likely killed by Murtoa himself over a year ago. It is the suspected hiding place of their quarry; a mid-size silveryourd.

It dawns on the young fairy, though, that she's been traveling with Mury for some time now, and she hasn't made any real efforts to learn his trade. And, by extension, connect with him.

"Teach me, Mury. Please? What are you looking at?"

The human warrior shifts briefly. But, without questioning her, he simply answers, "If there are scavengers, we're likely to see them emerge at some point. If the silveryourd hasn't returned, we don't want to be cornered inside if we can avoid it."

"Aren't your clothes acid-resistant, though? You walked through the gryduke's stomach acids without issues."

"I resin coat my boots and gauntlets to protect them, but it's not enough to stop a silveryourd's acid spit. Fortunately, they can only produce a limited supply. Never assume they're out, though. Like a rattlesnake, the mature ones learn to conserve. Acid is one of their greatest defenses."

"How do you plan to kill it?"

"Usually, I have to get it into the air and cause it to fall from high up."

"Fall? Wait! Wouldn't that mean you have to ride it up into the sky?"

He nods.

"What if you die?"

"No plan is without risk."

"THAT'S JUST CRAZINESS THOUGH!"

"Maybe. But it works."

"Why not just brain it with one of your spike explosives, like the nightenmael?"

"No good. Silveryourds already have thicker hides than most other colossi, even given their relatively small size. Their skulls are almost like diamond."

"Indeed," murmurs Gyrryth as he and the others join them. They stowed the cruiser and have brought equipment that Maerin prepared. "A silveryourd's skull is quite a treasure if kept intact."

Maerin scoffs, "If anyone can afford to buy one."

Lykha secretly pouts. She was enjoying the brief -and rare- private time she was getting with Murtoa.

The human warrior counters quietly, "Won't matter if it isn't dead. But, I think I have a plan that should work sufficiently enough."

Lykha scolds, "Riding it is NOT allowed, Mury."