Midnight Rescue

-Outside of Haunted Castle-

Standing outside the daunting Haunted Castle, Diana seemed destined to spend her career saving people who took dares from themselves. Why was it that they had to go to the most dangerous and isolated places in Earthland to perform their dares? Why could they not do something simpler and safer like wearing awkward outfits in public? The blonde sighed as she looked at the formidable castle that had more than a few pockmarks in the wall, presumably from catapult projectiles that failed to break down the wall. Wearing her "office lady" outfit under a black overcoat and wearing brown boots, Diana prepared to enter the castle and rescue a friend of Maria's from herself.

The girl was a blonde named Veronica who had never met a dare she did not like. Unlike Andrew and Maria, Veronica was from a well-to-do family who owned a small shipping company based in Hargeon Town, so she did not need the money. She was simply a thrill-seeker who looked for ways to spice up her boring middle-class life and found that taking dangerous dares was the most entertaining way to pass the time. Diana wondered what went through the minds of rich thrill-seekers to make them think that going to Haunted Castle was a good idea.

Diana walked up to the wooden double doors and opened them. She then stepped inside and closed the doors behind her. Something told her that this job was going to be a rough one.

-Inside Haunted Castle-

Diana found herself standing on a red carpet and staring down a hallway with oil portraits of people in formal clothing from at least two generations ago, if not three. She could not give precise dates, but the clothing was definitely old. She turned from what was in front of her and looked to her left.

On Diana's left was another hallway lined with suits of armor on display stands. She was not certain which hallway she should go down, so she switched to infrared vision to try and spot any residual heat from footprints. That approach yielded nothing, so a different approach would have to be tried. She began walking down the left hallway towards the suits of armor and looked around the hallway for the missing young woman. On the wall to her left was a wooden door that caught the mage's attention.

Diana summoned her Suppressed Handgun and put her free hand on the doorknob, then opened it carefully. Inside was a trio of zombies standing in front of a moonlit window. The blonde quickly put them down with Full Metal Jacket shots to the head and heard them fall to the bare floor with a THUD. She looked on the bare wooden floor and spotted... an electric guitar?

Diana picked up the musical instrument and looked at it quizzically. Out of all the things that could have been carried, someone chose a guitar. How odd.

[Word Count: 500]
[Total Word Count: 500/3,500]

Diana noticed that the guitar had a black strap for easier carrying, so she grabbed the guitar and slung it onto her back. A look around the room showed an old fireplace that had not been used in years and nothing else of interest. Diana exited the room and returned to the main hallway.

-Inside the main hallway-

Diana shut the room door and turned to face the hallway she had just left behind. She spotted seven humanoid figures in the distance that were shambling towards her with their arms raised, which meant that she would be facing zombies. The blonde raised her pistol and began firing at their heads. She brought them down one after another without any of them getting remotely close to her... it was more like target practice than a fight.

The blonde mage would take the easy way every time because taking the sure thing was a lot smarter than trying to show off to prove her skills. Shooting zombies in the head was just as effective as other, more flashy means of disposal. She did not know what other enemy types lurked in the Haunted Castle and needed to save her energy for the big fights that were certain to be waiting deeper inside the castle. She stepped over the zombie corpses and continued her search for Veronica.

Diana continued straight down the hall until she ran out of hallway to travel down. Spotting no doors to open and finding no other clues to the girl's whereabouts, Diana turned around and traveled back to the zombie corpses, which she stepped back over without missing a beat. She walked past the suits of armor and back to the main entrance, then took another left to go down the hall of oil paintings. Despite their age and the the light coat of dust on their surfaces, the paintings looked as vibrant as they did when they were first commissioned. She turned her glance away from them and continued to walk until she reached a large room decorated with old tapestries with coats of arms emblazoned on them.

There was also a lot of old but sturdy wooden furniture like chairs and a half-bookshelf stocked with books that were very old and very dusty. Diana was afraid to get near it because the dust might stir up any latent allergies that she had, but she did not need to get near the half-bookshelf because on a round wooden table was a paper note placed under a vase. Diana leaned down to read it.

"I never should have taken this dare. 10,000 Jewels wasn't worth all this trouble. I've lost my guitar and I have no idea where I'm going. I'll just go up these stairs and maybe find someone who can help me get back to Hargeon Town..." The note read. Diana stood up straight and facepalmed herself. This Veronica clearly lacked survival instinct... or common sense.

[Word Count: 500]
[Total Word Count: 1,000/3,500]

Diana kept it together and continued to search for Veronica because that was her job. She was getting paid for this and she needed to keep her street cred up in case her tenure with Hidden Blades ended abruptly and she had to work as a Guildless mage again. Rescuing people also helped ease the blonde's conscience. She had a lot of blood on her hands and she needed to work it off somehow.

Diana walked down the hallway until she came across a set of stairs leading up to another floor. The mage lacked any other clues as to her target's whereabouts, so she went up the stairs and to the next floor. The neck of the guitar made travel in the narrow staircase difficult, but Diana overcame that simply by putting a hand behind her and on its bottom to hold it upright.

-The next floor-

Diana exited the stairwell and found herself in the entrance to a dimly lit lavish banquet hall. The most prominent feature was a long, rectangular table made out of solid wood and covered by an immaculate white tablecloth. It was set with as many silverware bundles and plates as there were seats, of which there were no less than forty-eight. Above the table was a chandelier hanging on chains of brass with candles flickering with glass globes.

On the walls were more tapestries exactly like those from the first floor. The whole banquet hall had an old-world elegance that brightened the place up, but Diana was not here for interior decorating classes. She had to find Veronica and get out of here before something bad happened to her or the person she was supposed to rescue.

Diana did not have to look very far because seated at the head of the table was a young blonde woman wearing a navy blue overcoat and a plaid scarf wound around her neck. She had to be Veronica. The young woman was sitting in front of a silver wine cup with sapphires set into it. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of the guitar on Diana's back.

"Oh, how lovely! One of the servants brought my guitar back to me!" She exclaimed joyfully. Diana ignored that remark and walked over to the other blonde to try and get her to leave while the going was good. The mage did not want to run into any more zombies because she had no idea if Veronica would panic and do something foolish.

"Are you Veronica from Hargeon Town?" Diana asked the young woman. She nodded to the mage.

"Yes. How did you know my name?" The young woman asked as she stood up.

"I was sent by your friend Maria to rescue you. She said that you took a dare to stay here for an entire night. I also read your note on the first floor that claimed how bad an idea accepting the dare was." Diana patiently explained to Veronica.

Veronica:

[Word Count: 500]
[Total Word Count: 1,500/3,500]

"I'm glad you're here to help me get out of here. I don't like this place. There's something creepy about it." Veronica expressed her concern to Diana. Diana kept any sarcastic remarks to herself because her job was to rescue Maria's friend, not antagonize her into doing something stupid out of spite for her rescuer. The mage patiently listened to the other blonde speak.

"I never should have taken this dare. The amount of money offered was simply too low for the risk. I bet those people in Hargeon Town who made the dare are laughing at me at this very moment." Veronica expressed another concern. Again Diana kept the sarcastic remarks to herself, but she could have easily told Veronica that she was risking her life for very little gain. Besides, if Veronica's parents owned a shipping company, Veronica did not need to take dares because she already had plenty of money.

"You probably think that I am stupid for ever coming out here. if you truly feel that way, I am inclined to agree with you." Veronica said without a hint of self-deprecation. On this occasion Diana was moved to comment.

"I am not here to pass judgment. I am only here to rescue you." Diana said calmly. Considering what she did for a living, the blonde mage had no room to pass judgment on anyone for any lifestyle choice. Coming to Haunted Castle might have been stupid, but it was not illegal like her trade was.

"I am glad that Maria sent you. She is one of the only real friends I have. We have known each other since grade school and she has always looked after me. She must be terribly worried about me." Veronica continued to talk. The huntress wondered what it was like to have real friends and not just a long list of acquaintances or business contacts. Veronica walked forward and stood beside Diana.

"Let us get out of here. I do not want to be here any longer than I have to." She said.

"Very well then. We will leave this place." Diana assured her, guiding the other blonde out of the banquet hall and to the stairwell. Together the blondes descended to the first floor without any incident. So far, so good.

-On the first floor-

The two emerged from the stairwell to find that the first floor was largely as Diana had left it. The note was still there and so was the dusty half-bookshelf with its dusty contents. Veronica walked over to the note, took it out from under the vase, and crammed it into her left pocket without skipping a beat.

"I remember this place now. I recall leaving my guitar in one of the smaller rooms on the first floor because those zombies frightened me so badly." Veronica confessed. Diana remained silent and let the young woman talk. Veronica acted sheltered and lonely; she was not suicidal, just naive.

[Word Count: 500]
[Total Word Count: 2,000/3,500]

Diana let Veronica talk until the latter was ready to leave. Diana had forgotten what that kind of innocence was like because hers had been taken from her at ten years of age by her own parents after they discovered that she could kill with only a touch. She stopped reminiscing about something that was already lost and focused on getting Veronica out of here alive because a dead Veronica meant no pay for Diana.

Diana quietly guided her charge to the front entrance of Haunted Castle and opened the front door for her. Veronica exited the castle with Diana following close behind her. The job was looking like it was winding down without incident.

-Outside Haunted Castle-

The two blondes stood outside the castle and surveyed the path before them. It was clear and no enemies had presented themselves to bar the way. Diana looked around with her vision modes and did not find any threats to neutralize. Still, she would stay beside Veronica until they were out of the Cursed Lands because she did not want to get complacent and lose the person she was supposed to rescue.

"I am glad that we are out of there. Now let us go to Hargeon Town. It is a lot safer there." Veronica said to Diana. The mage was inclined to agree with her charge. She did not like Haunted Castle at all because everything was too clean and too orderly for an old castle that was supposedly abandoned centuries ago. Though they did not show themselves during this visit, it looked a lot like someone still lived there.

"OK. We are on the way to Hargeon Town." Diana said to Veronica, staying close to the other blonde and guiding her out of harm's way the best she could. Veronica seemed to be in awe of the forest and everything in the Cursed Lands because she could not stop looking at everything. Diana looked at everything, but that was because she was trying to keep them alive so that they could see daylight again.

-Twelves hours later, the outskirts of Hargeon Town-

The two blondes had a rough trek through the Cursed Lands because numerous groups of zombies were out and no one stopped to offer them a ride to safety. They had made it out on their own and were now basking in the daylight in Hargeon Town. Here they did not have to worry about zombies or werewolves or ghosts popping up to attack them. All they had to worry about was local toughs, but they were much easier to deal with than supernatural entities were.

"We made it. Now all that remains to be done is to find my home." Veronica said to Diana as they walked into Hargeon Town and walked through the working-class neighborhood while heading towards the wealthier side of town. In contrast to the grimy houses of the working class, the middle and upper classes lived in homes with cleaner exteriors.

[Word Count: 500]
[Total Word Count: 2,500/3,500]

-Hargeon Town, Town Home Number 1138-

"Here we are. We have reached my home at long last. I am glad that this ordeal is over." Veronica said to her while fishing a small silver key out of her pocket and inserting it into the lock of an off-white wooden door. The tumblers clicked and Veronica opened the door to a small but well-furnished house with a nice cloth sofa and a widescreen television in addition to framed family photos on the shelf above the television.

"I appreciate you being willing to escort me out of the Cursed Lands. This is the last time I will ever go there." Veronica assured Diana. The blonde mage was just glad that the job had reached a successful conclusion. She wanted to finish up with Veronica so that she could go to a local cafe and get some coffee or something to eat. Diana took the guitar off of her back and handed it back to Veronica.

"Oh, thank you! I had forgotten all about it!" She exclaimed before taking the guitar into both hands and setting it on the sofa.

"Do come in! I would like to speak to you about something in private." She said to Diana. The blonde honestly did not want to stay any longer than she had to, but she was too polite to turn the offer down. Veronica just might be a source of future work and she did not want to alienate a potential client unless it was absolutely necessary. Diana nodded her agreement and entered Veronica's home.

-Inside Veronica's home-

"Again, I appreciate you going to such lengths to help me get out of that dreadful place. Maria is an angel for hiring you." Veronica said to her. Diana was fairly sure that Maria was no angel, but the blonde mage knew that she was no angel... unless one considered her an angel of death. Diana hated that about herself and wanted to change that, but how could she meaningfully change? She was in too deep and contract killing was all she really knew how to do. It was lucrative and had a certain glamor, but it was a lonely lifestyle where she could never truly trust anyone because they might turn on her for any number of reasons.

Diana had to stay on the move constantly to keep ahead of her numerous enemies and avoid making friends because they would only be used against her by those wanting to take her down. Staying at the Hidden Blades headquarters was the longest time the blonde had stayed in any one place. She also appreciated that stability and appreciated a steady paycheck with prospects for advancement in the guild. Furthermore, she appreciated the fact that no one had asked any probing questions about her past when she was recruited.

Maybe Hidden Blades was her best bet for survival, but part of her wanted to be part of something less impersonal and more... real.

[Word Count: 500]
[Total Word Count: 3,000/3,500]

-Hargeon Town, two hours later-

Diana had hung around with Veronica mainly to ease the latter's loneliness. Her parents were frequently busy with their work and did not have very much time to do anything with their daughter other than fuss over her grades and try to push her into the family business. The blonde did not have many friends inside and outside of school because her parents kept her isolated from others. That information only confirmed what Diana thought about Veronica... the young woman was just sheltered and wanted to do something other than sit at home all day long.

Diana was sitting in a cafe and waiting for Maria to show up. The dark-haired girl she had rescued from Silent Cemetery was her client and the blonde wanted to get paid for her time and effort. In the meantime, Diana sipped on a cup of hot coffee and listened to the background chatter while watching waitresses take orders to customers.

Veronica had taken up guitar to do something with her spare time. Even though the girl's guitar playing could be best described as painful, she put a lot of effort into it and tried to at least hit the right notes. Diana could not throw stones because she did not have a hobby of any sort. She worked jobs for herself and ran the occasional job for the Hidden Blades, but other than that there was really nothing to her other than her magic. The blonde mage had liked going to Boomslang and D.J. Krill's birthday party on board a boat, but she could not do either too often because someone from her past might recognize her and report her to the authorities.

Without too much in the way of hobbies, Diana turned to taking jobs to keep herself busy and keep the Jewels flowing in. There was really not much to her. Maybe she could benefit from finding and pursuing a hobby that did not involve cloak and daggers or hunting wild animals. However, she did not really have much of a base to start from when it came to finding a hobby. She knew that she liked going to Boomslang to listen to the music, but attending that club was not the healthiest or least expensive pastime she could take up.

Wearing a white t-shirt and blue jean shorts with sandals, Maria at last entered the cafe and took a seat in front of Diana.

"Thanks for rescuing Veronica. She told me that you stayed by her side the entire time you two were leaving the Cursed Lands. She also told me that you found her electric guitar and brought it out too." Maria said to her.

"Yes. It was not too difficult once I found her." Diana replied calmly.

"That location's too dangerous, even for Andrew. You'll be glad to hear that he hasn't taken any more dares after you saved us from Silent Cemetery." Maria informed Diana with a smile.
Diana was glad to hear that the strong-willed youth had refrained from getting himself into another dangerous predicament just to prove his masculinity. Maria put a bag of Jewels on the table and slid it over to Diana.

"Thank you." Diana thanked her client before pocketing the Jewels. Maria raised a hand and ordered a soft drink called Cherry Charge, which smelled strongly of cherries. The blonde mage casually sipped her coffee and waited for Maria to speak again.

"I can't thank you enough. I know you've got more people to rescue, but if you have a few minutes to spare, I'd like to sit and talk for awhile." Maria requested. Diana looked at the dark-haired girl for a moment, then gave a false smile.

"Certainly." Diana said laconically.

"Great!" Maria exclaimed as the pair began to talk. Diana had completed another successful rescue without any harm coming to her charge. Maybe she should go Guildless and specialize in high-risk extraction missions for a living. It might be enough to make up for some of the innocent lives she took while working as a slave-assassin for her family.

[Word Count: 700]
[Total Word Count: 3,700/3,500]