Glass or Diamond: Fairy's Wish

Episode 4: Expectations

Three weeks have passed, and Lykha has had one question answered.

A lot.

MUCH of Murtoa's day to day activities are walking to where the next colossus he's heard of has been rumored to be. The colossi of the world are humongous themselves, but that also makes the territory they prowl very large.

She suspects he doesn't carry much money on him at all, which makes some sense, given that he is prone to not press for payment if he thinks the innocents involved can't afford it. So, she's not overly surprised that he doesn't try to hitch rides between villages, as well as the fact that very few villages have travel between them to begin with, making it an expensive request. It's a sad irony that a renowned slayer of colossi has to walk because money comes far before reputation.

The pair has fought a much smaller colossi since the gryduke. In fact, this one was almost a normal-sized monster by comparison, and wasn't particularly eventful. It was a large, hairy beast prowling a rocky mountain area bordering the desert the gryduke was in known as a burmooraak and eating paotrusses and smaller livestock so far.

As with the gryduke and the village after, Murtoa has been famously few of words unless Lykha asks him direct questions, but he's also been respectful of her. He's never even hinted at deceiving her about his interest in her wish, in anything nefarious for her, and he's never asked her for anything.

Of course, as she wakes up this particular morning, she is caught off guard by something semi-new. He's already gone. She scrambles up and flies upwards, scanning for him. By some miracle, he isn't too far away, but it's a rather long flight for her to catch up to him.

She scolds him, "WARRIOR! Why didn't you wake me!?"

The warrior looks at her, seemingly surprised. He replies calmly, as if it's nothing, "You were still following me?"

"I TOLD YOU GOOD NIGHT! OF COURSE I'M STILL FOLLOWING YOU!"

"Huh. I see."

"HOW COULD YOU FORGET I WAS THERE!? I WAS RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!"

"I usually travel alone."

"W-... Well, are you going to at least apologize?"

"Why?"

"WHAT!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHY'!?"

"I'm not making you follow me."

"I KNOW THAT! I ASKED YOU TO PROTECT ME!" She takes a deep breath and calms herself. "Please, I need you to protect me... I... I know it's a pain, but please try to remember I'm here."

"Alright."

She sighs. "Did you already eat?"

The warrior presents some of the packaged meat they received from the burmooraak, "Not yet. If you're hungry, you can have this."

"Oh... Thank you..."

Lykha takes the morsel of meat, nibbling on it as she flies alongside Murtoa while he walks. According to what he told her the day prior, they should be getting close to another village tucked out of the path of typical colossi.

The fairy asks curiously, "Warrior is kinda informal, and I'm not calling you Murtoa all the time. So, do you mind if I call you...? Mmm... Mury! Mury is a good easy name to say."

"Doesn't matter."

"I hoped you'd say that! So, remember now, I'm calling you Mury, so you have to respond, okay?"

"Fine."

"Mury."

"What?"

"Just checking."