Imps...always causing trouble (Kaisto and Astrid Job)

I'm holding my breath for you

The wagon would look like a war zone, though covered in white flour rather than crimson blood. Now that the two had gotten carried away with trying to get as bunch of the powdery substance on each other as they possibly could Astrid had almost forgotten what they were here for in the first place, laughing and trying to escape from Kaisto's grasp as he pushed her face into the flour.
It was dry, and yet soft.
Some of it managed to get into her mouth, causing her to sit up and wipe her tongue with her hands in hopes it would come off. It didn't. It just stayed there, drying up her mouth.
"Bleh..." She pouted, sticking her tongue out.

The wagon came to a sudden halt, almost causing the girl to fall over into even more of the flour, pressing her hands into the floor to stop herself from doing so.
"This is as far as i can take ya" the driver called to them from the front, his southern accent thick.

Oh, right, they were here on a job. Oops.
Jumping out of the wagon and landing upon her feet Astrid patted herself down and sending little white clouds into the air, spitting out some of the flour still in her mouth. Ugh, she needed some water or something. It just wasn't coming out, it stuck all around her mouth.
"Thank you!" She called after the driver, waving as the wagon trotted off. She wouldn't miss the bumping anytime soon... Though she did feel a bit bad about leaving all the flour in there. They really should have cleaned it up. However they were already late getting to the job as it was, they needed to start soon.

3/12 posts

I'm holding my breath for you

It had gotten to the part Astrid was dreading the entire way here. She wasn't completely against killing, for she knew it was a natural thing and not something anyone should be afraid to do in these types of situations. But still, not knowing why these imps did what they did weighted on her mind. They weren't evil, at least she didn't like to think they were.
So why? There had to be a reason...

As one of the two chibi imps flew towards her, claws pointed outward, Astrid used her sticker-filled violin case to slam against it, sending the small creature backwards.
Having made some time for herself before the imp would regain it's composure she used her thumb to click open the case, revealing her precious violin, Vieille. Dropping her case to the ground with a thud she placed the instrument in the correct place, the bottom piece snug under her chin, shouldering the middle, and hand upon the neck.
Raising the bow and breathing a small breath in she stroked it once against the thin strings, rubbing them and creating music that filled the air.

Light gathered before the girl, swirling and dancing as it all poured into itself to create a snake-like figure. The snake glowed, curling and wiggling with every stroke of the violin.
With a hiss the light-made creature sprung forward towards the still dazed imp, making it squeal. It coiled its body around the chibi, squeezing it as the music got faster until, Astrid rubbed against the strings one single and final time, causing the snake to bite into the imp.
Dead.
The snake vanished in a puff of golden light, leaving nothing behind but the imp's damaged body.
Astrid stood back, bringing her violin back down to her side with a sigh.

One down... A lot more to go.

4/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

Astrid had let the feeling of the boy's warm hand pressed against her head linger, raising a small hand to feel where it had been. The girl had always adored being praised. She was far from what people would refer to as a 'teacher's pet' or a 'show off', as she didn't do it for her own self, but rather she enjoyed it because it meant she was getting better as a person. Better, wiser, maybe a little stronger. She was reaching her goal.
Well, and it was always nice to feel like you did something right.

Having followed Kaisto into the cave she flinched back as she saw the imps almost instantly fling their claws towards her, only to be blocked by the sword-wielder.
Seeing how Kai had taken on the two of them on she decided to take the other three towards the back, who know start to surround her in a circle.
Narrowing blue optics she once again brought up her violin and started to play. This time, the song was a bit faster than her previous calm and slow version. Light surrounded the violinist in a circle, rushing around her. It grew and grew until it begun to sweep up the imps, tossing them about, making them squeak and flail their small limps about.
The song represented the avid rushing of the stormy sea with it's quick tone and constant plucking. It was a rather fun song to play, at least for her.

247 words ● @kai ● 5/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

The ice was nothing new to Astrid. Kaisto had shown her and Lucius his strange magic on the train a few months back. However she had to admit it was pretty genius, what he managed to pull off. While the spell hadn't actually been water it was supposed to act like a swirling wave, using the now solid light to crash onto the imps and deal the normal damage. But what he managed to do was freeze them completely.
Though Astrid wasn't sure if the imps were technically alive, they had still managed to stop them. That counted, right? Ah, it's not like their client would know. It'd be nice to just leave them here and hope for the best.

Retracting the violin from her shoulder Astrid gazed at the icy wall circling around her, opening her mouth in a gasp. It was beautiful. The frozen light shone inside of the clear ice, glowing and sparkling, reflecting the light in her eyes. He was right, it really wan an art piece. "Whoa..."
Eyes lingering upon their newly formed wall it took the musician a minute to realize that though this was in fact pretty, she was now stuck in the center of it. And it was starting to get really cold in here. Clutching her hands to her arms she shivered, feeling goosebumps start to pluck at her skin. "Um... Kai?"
Stepping back she frowned, head tilted to the side, looking upwards to try and see how she could escape.
"I'm... Kind of stuck..."

260 words ● @kai ● 6/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

As she stepped out from the frozen wall she let out a misty sigh, holding a careful hand onto Kaisto's as she stepped over some of the melted ice that had landed upon the ground.
Once out she let go, dropping her hand back to her side.
"It's fine, i didn't know i would get stuck either" she let a nervous sort of smile etch onto her lips, giving a sheepish expression. It wasn't his fault. They had gotten the job done, and she was sure if she looked hard enough she could have found her own way out.
Nodding at his words they walked into the second cavern that Kaisto had pointed out, Astrid falling a little behind the older man.
Poking her head around the corner she gazed inside the small, rocky cavern. The orange sunset poured into the room from large holes in the roof, the color mixing with the pale color of the rocks, giving the mood that the sun was just about to set. Atop some of the taller rocks black, emaciated imps growled and chattered, letting out shrills of laughter as they held large magazines in their claws. A single silver eyebrow rose, curious. Magazines? Astrid couldn't get a good look to see what exactly it was due to being too far away. She did however spot a scantily clad looking woman upon the cover, wearing nothing but a swim suit. Even weirder.
She looked back to Kaisto, blinking.
"Wonder why they have magazines all the way out here..."
Surely they couldn't have bought it themselves... Though the thought of a small imp flying up to a cashier and buying a magazine did put a funny picture into her mind.
She let out a quiet snort.

296 words ● @kai ● 7/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

She looked back up to the older boy, blinking once before her eyes narrowed in thought, lips pursed. What was a good plan? In all honesty she hadn't thought of one. She had hoped winging it the entire way through as each situation rose would be good enough, or that maybe Kaisto would have a couple of plans since he was more experienced at fighting. However now that they had a chance to use a sneak attack it'd be better if they took advantage of it. It'd be quicker and less deadly.
Taking a moment to take into consideration both of their kinds of magic she placed a finger on the bottom of her lip, silver eyebrows furrowed as she tried to come up with the best plan that worked for both of them.
"I can flashbang them, and then we both go in and take them out while they're confused?"
Maybe it wasn't the best plan, but it was the fastest one she could come up with. She was no born leader, and if Kaisto had a better plan he was free to offer one himself.
She just didn't want to be here after dark... This place could be rather creepy at night with these imps flying around. As if they weren't creepy and demon-looking enough already if they were cloaked in the thick velvet of night they would look straight up terrifying.

234 words ● @kai ● 8/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

She could do this. She couldn't mess up. If she did, the imps would attack and they'd have to fend them off without an advantage. The harder way.
She breathed in, then out, holding her composure.
"Cover your eyes and ears, Kai" She warned the slayer. Her flash bang attack was meant to blind and deafen the enemy all at once. But if they also took the side effects of the spell there wouldn't be any point in doing it in the first place.
Astrid herself however, was okay. All she had to do was close her eyes.
After all, what was a loud sound to someone who was deaf?

Placing her chin upon the bottom of the violin she lifted the bow, rubbing it against the strings once, creating a plucking sound.
A glowing ball of light started to form in the center of the room, causing the imps to become alert, dropping the magazines and jumping upward, pointing at it with tiny claws as they screeched among them, clearly curious about what it was. No very smart, were they?
Now.
Lifting her bow from the neck of the instrument the giant ball dropped to the floor, creating a large flash of light and a ear piercing banging sound, similar to that of a bomb.
The imps screamed in agony as they covered their eyes, taking damage as well as being temporarily deafened and blind.

This was their chance.
"Now!"
Her violin bow covering itself in light it transformed into a sword. She clutched the jeweled hilt in her grasp tightly, taking no time to use the flashbang to their advantage.
Jumping out from the rock her eyes locked upon three imps, cringing in pain to the side.
"You or them.... you or them... you or them..." The violinist had to keep reminding herself, still getting use to the idea of killing with these types of jobs. She hated to do it, but it was asked of her. At this point it was either kill or be killed
She took in another deep breath.
"La Vitesse..."
The blade of the sword began to glow a bright blue. The ability of speed. With this, she could end their lives as quickly as possible.
Gritting her teeth together and closing her eyes she pushed the blade forward, feeling the hit as it pushed through the three small imps all at once before retracting it.

She did not look at what she had done. She turned her gaze to the side as she reacted her sword, feeling the weight slide as they fell off one by one, hearing the thumps of their lifeless, small bodies hit the ground. Her heart grew heavy.
It was done...

442 words ● @kai ● 9/12 - 10/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

Her blue gaze landed upon the floor of the cavern, standing still as the boy patted her head. Though she usually liked the recognition for doing a good job, this time, she didn't feel as though she deserved it. Astrid absolutely hated killing any kinds of creatures, even if they were the baddest of the bad. She always did her best to find the good in everyone. This made the girl overly humanize everything, giving them feelings and emotions they may not actually have. She wouldn't even kill a bug on her wall, knowing it didn't mean any harm to her and that it was only trying to live its life... Even if the fly was ten feet tall and had giant fangs. Ending a life by her own hands was tough and something she never wished to do so frequently again after today... How Lucius found joy in such a thing was beyond her comprehension. What if the imps had family? How would the family do without a member? What had she done? Her or them? More like it was just her... Only caring about how she herself got out of this situation. That wasn't fair... She had become selfish...
Her lips pressed together and her eyelids lowered slightly, as though she was pushing back tears. The violinist gripped the handle of her sword, turning away from Kaisto before continuing to walk further into the cave slowly, dragging her feet. Saying nothing she left a depressing aura in her wake, ready to be done the job already and go home. She didn't except to feel so sad when she look this job. If anything she thought she would be happy, going on her first mission with her dear friend. She thought killing would be an easy thing.
It was not.

301 words ● @kai ● 11/12 posts

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

The girl stopped in her tracks as the boy tried reasoning, keeping her eyes upon the ground, refusing to look at him, the guilt weighing heavily on her mind.
"The mission said we have to kill them" Astrid mumbled out, her voice strangely monotone, almost like all of her emotions had been sucked out of her.
The job had very clearly stated that they did in fact have to kill the imps. If they didn't kill them that would be failing the job, correct? This was the first mission she had done with Kaisto. She wanted to pass it easily and impress him. Messing up in anyway would ruin her pride. And pride was not something she was willing to lose.
"So kill them we will... Then we go home and collect our reward. That's how these things work. Otherwise we're not meeting the requirements."
Killing the imps was taking a lot out of her mentally, constantly tackling her opposing positions on murder. She would have to kill sometimes. She knew it to be true. It came with being a mage, or at least a mage that wanted to help people. If it wasn't killing some thief that stole jewels from a bank it was killing a monster ramping through a village. There were times when killing was necessary, and this job was one of them.
The musician wanted to train herself so she could kill without feeling so horrible, but it was harder than she thought... Every time she thought back to how the tiny body's of the imps felt as they landed upon the ground it brought shivers down her body.
She didn't know what to think anymore.

280 words ● @kai ● 12/12 posts