Storm and Snow of the Mountain [Job]

A hike in the mountains. The thought ran through her head multiple times as the Ice wizard hummed a melody to herself whilst preparing for the journey to the Phoenix Mountains. The sun began to rose up between the clouds, rays of neon colours radiating through the entire sky, painting it red and orange. The windows were ajar, allowing the cold morning breeze to enter through the room and billowed out the white curtains by its entrance. For a moment, Snowflake pondered what she should bring for a journey that was going to take a couple of days. It was not just some expedition but a proper mission including some combat that she had been expecting, but alongside a comrade of her own guild – Garou Knights. Never met nor introduced to the person before, the young girl was clueless of her partner’s appearance, name and the type of magic she used.

First aid and food plays as the dire role of a harsh trip, thus, she packed her whole fortune of bread, snacks, not to mention – desserts, along with other items she might consider needed. Satisfied with the contents inside her bag pack, the girl slipped on her dark blue blazer before whipping sapphire strands of hair over her shoulder. The sunlight reflected against shiny frame of her Dust Rapier which was resting against the closet. The sound of metals clashing resounded throughout her room as Snowflake grabbed her weapon, adjusted around the belt of her skirt and finally departed her room.

The hours were still early, the streets of the town were empty and silent – barely any human being could be seen. Silvery orbs glistened under the sunlight as a sharp series of sounds produced from her wedged boots echoed around the area. Upon her arrival, she was greeted by a young woman together with a soldier who appeared to be her assistant, perhaps, standing at the entrance of the Phoenix Mountains. Blue-toned skin, dark hair and strange-coloured eyes. The Ice wizard flinched at hearing her real name from someone whom she barely knew of. Snowflake remained silent as her so-called partner, Lydia Sauer, continued to make comments and remarks. A pair of emotionless gray eyes glided towards the hand that was extended out for her to grab. For a split second, she battled her thoughts of whether she should hold her hand or not.

”First things first, address me as Snowflake. Please. I’m not fond of …. hearing my own name.” Her voice quiet and gentle, she reached out her partner's hand and grabbed it firmly. ”Pleasure to meet you, Lydia.” They quickly moved onto the topic of supplies they have at hand without wasting any time. ”I have bread, and desserts.” The young girl blurted, her expression blank as a barren desert.

Mature – was her first impression of Lydia, seeing that she was the only one doing most of the speaking and planning for their upcoming mission. Snowflake had been observing her partner and in accordance to her actions, she realized that she respects this young woman, for being able to do plan ahead and scheme out the tactics they might require in the forthcoming situation. The Ice wizard was aware of the mission that they were supposed to escort their clients over to the other side of the mountain, which should not be that of a difficult task, hopefully. ”Mmm, alright.” The young girl nodded, following her steps towards the carriage that would help them reach their destination.

It was a tough ride, with a couple of bumps and dips due to the uneven lands of the mountains but it did not stop Snowflake from reaching into her bag to fetch a piece of bread and chunked on it hastily. The carriage finally came to a halt, as the girl pushed the doors open, revealing bright sunlight and the wildness of the gorse bushes and trees that grew in profusion all around the area. Magic, huh? The blue haired mage thought, stretching her arms and legs before gripping onto the straps of her bag pack.

Her eyes dazed, the young girl came into realization that her partner was indeed, a Demon Slayer. Snowflake watched her partner being immersed into what seemed to be like a device, her fingers swiping off the screen repeatedly. ”Mmm. It sounds like a nice magic.” Her thumb and index finger placed on her chin, she contemplated for a brief second and continued, ”We might make a good duo. My magic relies a lot on close combat, mostly fencing with a sword. I can give buffs too.” Eyes gliding down towards her Dust Rapier, she gently tapped the hilt of the sword. With just a brief description, she wondered if Lydia would be satisfied with her simple characterization of her magic. Being someone who really doesn’t talk much is hard, eh?

Heat rushed to her body the moment she placed her foot outside the carriage, followed by a gush of cool wind blowing into her face. The bangs that neatly framed her delicate features whisked before her eyes, her long strands of blue-slivery hair sailing behind her like a kite. The Ice wizard tugged at the hem of her blazer as she involuntarily glanced outwards, only to be greeted by middle-aged lovers with complete dissatisfaction on their faces. The woman began to protest about how they were not punctual and mentioned how they would prefer a different guild. Late? What do you think you are? We aren’t robots to turn up within a blink of an eye. Despite how she barely showed any emotions, her silver hues displayed enough threat and danger. The words she had been wanting to say at the woman were right on the edge of her tongue but was advised to not retort back anything back to their clients. ”Tch.” The girl produced a click at the roof of her tongue, clearly annoyed at the clients.

Her eyes followed the direction Lydia was pointing at; the snowcapped mountains. Behind the mountain peaks was a huge orb of yellow and orange emitting radiant rays of sunlight throughout the entire sky. Her attention shifted back to her partner as she urged her to keep her guard on since the roads were rough and it was possible that an avalanche would occur. Cobblestones and pebbles were lined neatly in the form of stairs as it corkscrewed around the huge mountain. Wooden rails were adorned at the side of the stairs to assist anyone up the mountains, and to protect them from falling over. Needless to say, Snowflake had to keep checking if the old man and woman were doing fairly good since it would be rather hard for them to climb such a large mountain through tough conditions.

The clangs of her Dust Rapier against its sheath resounded over the quiet morning. The further they climbed up the mountains, the scarier it was. There were barely any protection provided, apart from the unstable wooden railings after all. She assumed that this sort of journey would be a nightmare to someone who has a fear of heights.

Beads of perspiration began to form on her forehead which was then quickly cooled by the harsh gales that blew across the land. The dust that seeped from the rocks lifted up only to act as an obstacle to her eyes. Her attention drifted across the mountain as she ceased in her tracks for a brief second to enjoy the view of the sunset. The day had passed within a blink of an eye and the vibrant neon colours that were produced from the sun had distributed across the azure sky. After climbing a couple of steps, they fell upon a place where rocks and boulders were spewed across the area. Lydia insisted that she would clear up the area to allow themselves to camp at the location for tonight. Her eyes shifted back to the sky once again, realizing that it was getting dark. The mages would have no trouble continuing the journey but the old couple seemed to be exhausted. The young girl nodded, agreeing with Lydia to take a rest for the night and proceed on the rest of the trip the next day.

”Please wait a moment, I’ll set up the tents.” Snowflake uttered, her tone flat yet gentle, so as the same for her eyes. Bending down, she slipped her bag off her shoulder and began rummaging through the mess to search for the tents she had packed this morning. Fortunately enough, the girl had brought two tents; one for the mages and the other one for the clients, large enough for at least three people to fit in. ”Have a good rest. We’ll wake up you tomorrow early before we set off.” Her eyes trailed off into a distance and spotted Lydia up the cliff, keeping watch for the night. The blue haired girl stared up at her partner for a while until she spoke, quiet but loud enough for her to hear, ”Come take a rest if you feel tired.” The Ice wizard was not necessarily being nice or whatsoever, but felt that she needed to say something to her partner. After all, both of them are from the same guild.

Slipping through the tent, the girl began to undress herself into much warmer and comfortable clothes before she dug into her bread and desserts. It was surprising how she never actually gained that much weight despite the amount of food she eats every day. A sigh of content escaped her lips, followed by a slight movement of her hand to flip her sapphire hair over her shoulder as she threw herself under the sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep.

The sunlight pierced through the gap between the entrance of the tent, beaming down on her pale face. ”Nnng.” The young Garou Knight let out a small groan as she fluttered her eyelashes open. With her hands sprawled beside her, she stared up at ceiling of her tent and her thoughts wandered off almost immediately. Being not a morning person, she was reluctant to get out of her sleeping bag, not to mention – she was struggling to remain awake. A yawn escaped her lips, followed by massive stretch of her hands and legs. The Ice mage began to dress herself up; a white blouse with ruffles, a blazer and a short skirt accented with dark blue. Hastily, Snowflake slipped into her thigh-high white socks and finished her attire with black wedged boots.

The scream from her client caught her attention, causing her to barge out of her tent. Snowflake was confused as to why she was making a big fuss until the woman accused her of stealing their bread. Her expression unfazed, she placed her hand on her hip, blue strands of hair gently slipping over her shoulders. ”Let me tell you. If you’re bothered that much, you can take all my edibles, for all I care. I won’t die without eating for a day or two, unlike you weaklings.” She raised her chin, peering down at them through her thick dark eyelashes, her eyes displaying nothing but disgust. ”With your plump body, I assume you might even need more than the rations I have, won’t you?” The woman finally reacted to her comment, with her fists balled to her side. It was ridiculous how they were making up an act, despite how they knew they won’t be able to land a finger on the members of Garou Knights. ”Either way, I don’t intend to help you people out if you’re making a big fuss about everything.” Heat rushed to the woman’s face as she avoided her eye contact and walked away grumpily.

The girl decided not to bother insulting the woman anymore and turned around swiftly with a flip of her hair, where a French braid neatly rested on her crown. Her partner was evidently irritated at their clients as well, since she had made it obvious on how annoyed she was at the situation. ”Green tea? Sure, why not?” Snowflake grabbed the hilt of her Dust Rapier and seated herself beside her partner. A pang of nostalgia hit her and she recalled someone mentioning to her that having green tea in the morning helps you wake up. How surprising.

Words sprung out of her rosy lips, harsh and cold, but that was what she wanted to express. Accusations were thrown at her, first her client and now her partner, although she could care less of what they think about her. Even as a kid, children did not like to hang out with her nor even have a conversation, not to mention – her relatives, which was the mere reason why she stopped bothering to concern herself over anyone else when they didn’t even have the desire to talk to her. Silver eyes dazed, she stared out into the horizon, the morning sun slowly climbing over the skyline as hints of neon yellow and orange spread wildly throughout the endless sky.

Her mind lost in her thoughts, she was quite oblivious to Lydia speaking to her until her voice finally reached into her head. Her eyes glided down to a tea bag that her partner had displayed it for her as the scent of the crushed leaves rose into her nose. ”It smells nice.” Following to the direction of Lydia’s pointed finger, Snowflake presumed that the location was around Phoenix Mountains. The Ice mage quietly listened to her partner as she spoke about herself, all the while preparing a kettle for the both of them. A thought crossed her mind; that Lydia must be content of living alone for such a long time, and grabbed ahold of the cup that was handed out to her. ”Thank you.”

Snowflake wrapped both of her hands around the cup, the warmth of the boiling water settling into her skin and soothed her body. It was rather cold in the morning, especially the early hours. Plumes of steam rose up from her cup and dispersed into the sky as she took a small sip from the tea. She liked it. It was as good as the ones she had back in her kingdom when she had to drink one every afternoon. The good old days. This was the first time she had drank any tea since she left her kingdom to enter Fiore, and honestly, she enjoyed it. All of them would begin packing, while Snowflake had to take care of the tents and neatly folded them back into her backpack.

The couple looked disappointed after Lydia made the comment of making less stops, but Snowflake shrugged them off. Their clients were definitely idle and inactive ones but nevertheless, they proceeded onto their way, climbing up the stairs, hills and rocks, just so they could reach the next camp site.

The sky was getting darker and darker, as the four of them continued their journey up the mountain. Clouds began to clear up and the bright yellow orb would set behind the snow-capped mountains and down the horizon. The Ice wizard glanced down the mountain, a vicinity of verdant trees covering the entire area. They were far up on the mountains that the structures on the ground almost resembled her to those of the size of ants. Strands of cerulean hair billowed out in the air and glistened upon catching sunlight. The breeze was cold, yet gentle, caressing her face each step she made over her journey. Grasping the situation of the clients, they never seemed to have such a long trip before, but neither did she, however, the couple were struggling more than she was. The mission was exhausting but the girl was distracted with such beautiful views displayed to her, thus, not noticing how long they had been walking.

The voice of her partner mentioning ’Vulcans’ attracted her attention and her head instantly snapped towards her direction. ”Mhm, I think that’s a good idea.” she’d agree on taking a rest without setting up the tents. Vulcans were dangerous species, especially for humans. The clients were apparently reluctant of them being left alone but there was no other choice for them to make. The young girl slipped her bag pack off her shoulder, only to leave it with the client and silently departed with Lydia into the forest. Using their clients as bait was a smart idea provided from Lydia, but it would put their clients into a dangerous situation, although she did not care much about them nor their well-beings. ”That’s fine. We just need to get the Vulcans anyway.”

Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over her face, for she had been waiting for the moment to finally try out her abilities. Imperfect her magic may be, however, she had enough confidence in herself to face any enemies. While her partner looks out for any Vulcans that might have taken the bait, Snowflake, on the other side was preparing to throw her attacks. With her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her Dust Rapier, she was ready for any moment for Lydia to call out the move. Once she did, the Ice wizard quickly unsheathed her sword and pointed it forwards, summoning a huge glyph in front of her.



Upon the soft murmur of the spell’s name, she created a fog that clouds the vision of everyone that was within the area. The temperature would gradually drop until it was freezing cold and then she would summon another glyph under her feet with a swift movement of her sword. With the speed boost provided by her glyph, the girl disappeared rather quickly from the side of her partner and dashed towards the Vulcans as if she was skating on ice. A clang of swords echoed through the area followed by a scream from the woman. Her movements were swift and nimble, it would be rather hard for people to follow her with bare eyes, excluding her partner. Snowflake moved around the enemies briskly, stabbing her Dust Rapier at their vital areas. With the advantage of a cloudy vision, her enemies were likely to not be able to spot her easily.

The fog was finally starting to clear up and the Vulcans, including her client came back into vision. Shock and fear was written all over the couple’s face as they clung to one another like caterpillars. "It’s a woman!” A nasty smirk was plastered on one of the Vulcans’ faces. ”So, you like women.” she stated, her free arm clasped behind her back while her sword was pointed towards them. ”A good reason for me to end your lives.” the girl murmured, her voice nothing but a husky soprano. The Vulcans launched themselves at her as she quickly attempted to create a distance between herself and the enemies to summon another spell. Albeit, one of the Vulcans was lucky enough to land a rather large scrape on her skin. She didn’t seem to be largely affected by the wound, nevertheless as she created another glyph of cyan colour.




She called, as she swiped her sword in an ‘X’ motion before producing a strong slash of wind that threw her opponents into the distance. They were completely injured, both from Lydia’s strong discharges of lightning and Snowflake’s quick thrusts.

Blood began to drip down her arm from the wound the Vulcan had opened. It was a bit swollen but Snowflake didn’t seem to be bothered by it that much. With a slight twirl of her Dust Rapier, the girl placed her weapon back into its sheath. It was getting darker, but according to Lydia they were almost arriving to their destination. Silently nodding at her partner, the girl reached for her bag pack, sliding it back onto her shoulders. Silver eyes darted over to the pair of couple who was struck with fear. ”Are you guys coming or what?” she murmured, her voice coated with a layer of ice before she followed behind Lydia. Apparently, her partner knew the shortcuts of the area and Snowflake would just follow her lead.

The shadow of the cave loomed above her head, and apparently, according to Lydia, this was the shortest passage to the other side of the mountain. There was an odd aura about the cave but she decided to push it back to the back of her mind. The girl grabbed the torch that was handed over to her and switched it on. Deep lines of claw marks were buried under the walls of the cave and that only made Snow more curious about where they were going, although the couple seemed to be frightened to death by the sight before their eyes.

The woman, no doubt, began throwing questions at them. Snowflake decided to neglect her all the way until they reach their destination, otherwise it would just be a mere distraction to her. Her wedged boots thumped against the hard floor of the cave, her torch beaming straight ahead as she looked out for any intruders. Her footsteps suddenly came to a halt the moment she heard an unknown voice – no, there were a bunch of them and they were most definitely a pack of bandits. The girl pulled out her weapon from its sheath once again and pointed it forwards, although she was reluctant since the night was falling and if they decided to fight, they would just have to wait out another day to reach to the other side. ”We don’t have that much time to fight them.”

A second ago; they were standing, preparing to fight against the bandits and the next moment, Lydia rushed towards the bandits, screaming behind her and demanded for the remaining three of them to run. Now, why was Snowflake supposed to run? She was certainly not someone to quit a battle nor did she wanted to abandon her comrade as well. However, the urge she felt from Lydia caused her to drag her clients by their collars and sprinted back to the entrance of the cave. With her agility, there was no doubt she could escape hastily without any of their lives in danger. The Ice wizard threw the two of them back on the ground when she was certain that they were safe and swiped the dust off her hands. Her eyes would stare back into the cave, where screams resounded and silently hoped that her fellow partner was safe.

The cave began to rumble and cracks emerged onto the walls of the structure before the rocks collapsed onto the ground. Since the cave was completely destroyed, their passage was blocked at well, which was not a good sign. Nevertheless, the bandits were easily taken care of, so that’s one less thing to worry. While her thoughts were all jumbled up, the rumble grew louder as her bright grey eyes shifted upwards, only to see a mass of snow sliding down the mountains. ”Crap.” The girl muttered under her breath before she darted as fast as she could before they would all be buried under the snow.

Through the gorses of bushes and dense thickets of trees pressing all around them, they would run, trying to escape from the rocks and snow that threatened to bury them. Soon after a lot of running and dashing, Snowflake halted in her steps to take a sharp and long intakes of breath. ”Okay..” Unable to speak and out of breath, her words were cut short. ”I think … we’re safe here.” Her chest rose and fell between each breaths, her heart pounding against her rib cage and almost felt as if her heart was going to lunge out of her throat. ”… Horrific.” The word escaped her lips – the only word that could describe the situation they were in at hand, although they managed to escape alive.

The fellow Garou Knight was completely stunned by the comment her partner had made upon her. In fact, it was the first compliment she ever received from someone whom she just met a couple of days ago. The girl looked absent-minded as usual, however, she was repeating the word Lydia had spoken to her in her head. Quite a shock for her, isn’t it? They would continue their way onto the other side of the mountain after everything that had happened. As they marched along the way, Lydia mentioned that she wouldn’t mind doing another mission with her again. Unsure what to say, the girl stared at the ground nervously for a brief moment, thinking up of a proper answer to reply. ”Me too.” she uttered quietly. Now, what would you expect from someone who has zero social skills and a terrible attitude? Just a short answer would suffice – and she certainly meant what she said.

After sending their clients off to their destination, the two mages would take a rest for the day before deciding to proceed back to their homes. Since Lydia lived in the mountains, it was up to Snowflake to deliver the report back to their guild. ”Mhm. I had a lot of fun.” The girl nodded, clutching onto the device Lydia had given it to her. She would watch her partner depart further into the mountains, her silhouette dimming growing faint each moment. With a hint of a smile, the girl whispered to herself successfully, ”A new comrade made.”