𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪

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October 15th, 2023

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Gender: Female
Age: 24
Sign: Libra
Country: United Kingdom

Signup Date:
March 06, 2020

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05/20/2021 09:20 PM 

Vs. Imps

There is a sprawling forest bathed in sunlight. The area is filled with exuberant vegetation. Here, in the shadows of great oak trees, a battle to the death is being fought.

 

A young woman in silver armor raises her sword. Adrenaline and fatigue causes her arms to shake like a baby’s rattle. “Damn it—!” She raises a voice of frustration, less at her circumstances and more towards herself.

 

A simple extermination request. That’s really all it is.

 

The targets are small imps that have been harassing travelers. Many use the forest roads for commerce, collecting ingredients and materials. The size of a small child, on their own, imps pose little threat. The most damage they can cause is with their claws and curved fangs. Sharp and deadly they may be, they are not particularly very fast though they can make impressive jumps.

 

Imps are most dangerous in swarms, but even then, a particularly desperate child can outrun them. They aren’t particularly intelligent either. For one selling herself as a warrior, Flora shouldn’t be sweating this hard.

 

She’s underestimated their numbers. Rather, the request hadn’t specified a number. “Some imps have been harassing travelers, will someone please do something about them? My stocks are falling by the day!!”

 

Nobody else really wanted the job. The pay wasn’t high and defeating imps weren’t going to turn any heads. Fresh out of training, it was exactly what a rookie like Flora was hoping for. Put down a few imps, impress a local businessman, and slowly gain confidence to tackle bigger, more dangerous requests.

 

But the little red-skinned uglies came pouring out like agitated hornets. It was her first time killing something not meant for food, and she’d already gotten used to the feeling of her blade tearing through flesh and bone. It’s at the point where, if she doesn’t swing to kill, she’ll be overrun, torn apart.

 

Coincidentally, she’d stopped counting after fifteen, but her blade was covered in the dark, foul smelling blood of twenty-seven imps. And there were still over a dozen left!

 

She readies her sword in ‘Ox’ stance. Though warily, the imps still approach. The sword is like the tail of a scorpion and many of their kin have fallen to its sting already. Still, the nearest one makes a frog-like leap—it’s belly is pierced straight through. Another makes a charge for her legs, but a streak of silver wards him off.

 

That is when she spots the trap.

 

Wha—!?” Flora cannot even voice her shock. A shadow moves in the periphery of her right eye.

 

Time slows to a crawl. Arms stretched out, an imp, hiding on a tree jumps at her head. An evil smile showcases its avaricious fangs.

 

!! I can’t dodge this !! screams her instincts. The machine her head fires to life and concludes there’s no way to avoid. Time, speed, distance, angling, none of it matters. The buffalo is exhausted and as soon as it goes down, its throat will be ripped out.

 

Everything moves in slow motion, so she see’s it happen with perfect. A branch hooks itself around the imps little neck, a hangman’s noose, and yanks the little creature into the air.

 

A second later, the ground grumbles violently. Dirt and soil is flung into the air as trees are uprooted. Frenzied screams fill the air as thick, huge, branches fall like battering rams, scattering the imps. Leaves like arrows fly from their branches. Sharp as razors, they lacerate and eviscerate, grow back and repeat.

 

But what just might the most unbelievable thing of all—

 

I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have waited so long. I wanted to see if you could handle it on your own, so I waited, but when I saw that sneaky little thing, I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.”

 

is the young stranger claiming responsibility for all this.

 

A young girl, somewhere in her mid-teens, comes running from wherever she’s been hiding before now. A sight to see, considering she’s wearing an elegant red dress. Her hair, yellow and wavy, catches the sunlight and her eyes are large and blue, sparkling.

 

Are you...responsible for that?” Flora points at the line of trees marching deeper into the forest. The shrieks of imps grow ever distant.

 

Yes, I am!” The sun child smiles. “I asked the trees for help. I’ll put them back once they’ve chased those little beasties away.”

 

Snap! That was the sound of the tension being cut. Flora falls to her knees, provoking a worried health check by the girl.

 

I’m fine! Just tired. You really saved my bacon there. I thought I was a goner.”

 

You were most impressive. I don’t know the first thing about swordsmanship, but I enjoyed watching you. I doubt you needed my help. You would have won in the end. I was sure those things would give up eventually. Their numbers were all they had and it wasn’t doing them any good.”

 

Flora smiles bitterly. “Imps always attack in numbers. I’ve heard…” she hesitates to continue. What she’s about to say is only a rumor. “...that lately, they’ve been doing things like setting traps.” She details a story she heard of a single imp pretending to run away, luring a lone warrior into a nest.

 

That is rightly terrifying,” is the young girl’s opinion.

 

And this time, they laid in waiting here and jumped out all at once. It’s a good thing they can’t plan far ahead.” That last one must have gotten desperate, she surmises. Still, it’s no question the imps are displaying a frightening rise in cunning. And with numbers like that, it might be best to call of a General Hunt to cull them.

 

I’ve driven the imps to the South East.” A short while later, the marching trees return like a victorious army and resettle their roots into the ground. There seem to be a lot of monsters over there, so I hope I’m right in thinking it’s not a place people go.”

 

South-East, right? That should be towards the river, but you’re right. Villagers don’t go out that far and it’s far from the main roads used by travelers. It should be fine for now.” Flora stands up and stretches. “You’re a traveler as well, yes? Were you on your way to the village?”

 

Ah, well…” The girl scratches her cheek thinking of what to say. “I’d like to poke my nose about the forest for a bit more, if you don’t mind. I’ll keep my eye out for trouble. I know where the village is, so I should be able to find my way back.”

 

Well, there usually isn’t anything too dangerous in the forest during the day. And she can clearly handle herself with that strange magic.

 

In that case, be careful. I need to get back and report what I’ve found. I can’t call the quest complete, but with these findings--” she looks at the pile of imp bodies bound in a net of spider-like thread. More threads were attached to the branches of the tallest trees. A direct zip-line to the village gates. “...I can ask for a bigger reward. It will work, won’t it?

 

The young mage assures Flora, The trees will deliver it for you.”

 

Then you have my thanks, Miss—”

 

But the young girl only runs away with a laugh. “I’m just a beautiful traveling enchantress. Let’s meet again sometime!”

 

Her feet kicking up little clouds of dust, the beautiful traveling enchantress disappears into the forest. At the same time, the sac of imp bodies is lifted into the air by the trees

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