Finding A Lost Soul

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 13, Post Number 311

-Outside Silent Cemetery, midnight-

Wearing her purple long-sleeved t-shirt and black skirt with white thigh-high stockings, black tennis shoes, backpack of supplies, and carrying Saint Sinner Valentine slung on her right shoulder and loaded with normal rounds, Diana had arrived outside the gate of Silent Cemetery as quickly as she could. She had been in such a hurry that she had forgotten to change into her usual navy blue work outfit before leaving home. Oh well... Diana would find a way to cope with the problems brought about by her attire, which was not too troublesome except for the fact that her skirt did not cover her legs like pants did.

The huntress had been hired by Meredith Smith of Magnolia Town to rescue her wayward younger sister Amanda... again. Tonight's rescue mission took the huntress to Silent Cemetery, a place she had been to many times before. Ignoring the cold wind that was starting to pick up again, Diana took a moment to recall how Amanda had managed to end up here.

According to Meredith, Amanda had gotten lost on the way to Rose Garden and had entered Silent Cemetery. Diana was utterly confounded as to how Amanda could have mistaken Silent Cemetery for anywhere else, but Diana remembered that Amanda had inherited her bad sense of direction from her mother's side of the family. The huntress also remembered the story of how her Uncle Larry had mistaken Silent Cemetery for the site of a Halloween party and had nearly run afoul of zombies. The man managed to escape with his life, but he came away with deep gouges on his left arm and an intense loathing of zombies.

Now Diana was here to save Amanda from a worst-case scenario Meredith had predicted several months ago, which was her receiving a call from Amanda that had come from Silent Cemetery. Diana recalled the story of the blonde's Uncle Larry and could not help but to note the similarity of their situations. Both of them had been heading for Rose Garden when they took a wrong turn and ended up in Silent Cemetery.

Like uncle, like niece.

Diana took Saint Sinner Valentine off of her right shoulder and took it into her right hand so that she would have it ready before she went through the gate. She was not sure how many zombies, zombie dogs, and other residents of the cemetery she would run into tonight, but she would be ready for them. She just hoped that she could rescue Amanda before it was too late and she encountered the lost blonde as a zombie shambling about or as a corpse lying on the ground that had been mangled by zombie dogs.

Diana took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she was about to do next. Going into a cemetery infamous for undead activity on a rescue mission was certainly an exciting way to end an enforced vacation, but something about it felt like a good return to action. A search-and-rescue mission was not an easy job, but it was a better use of her time than going to Capital Crocus Mall with Angela Helton or going to Boomslang for an album debut party.

Diana could pat herself on her back for her work ethic and moral fiber later. Right now she really needed to get going and find Amanda. Diana took a deep breath, opened the gate with her left hand, and went inside, then closed the gate behind her.

-Inside Silent Cemetery-

Diana shut the gate behind her, then looked around the immediate area. There were at least a dozen zombies standing amongst the tombstones in the area, but that was not all the opposition in this area. She spotted a trio of zombie dogs walking in a rough echelon formation and walking towards the branching path about twenty meters from her.  Since they were faster, the undead canines would need to be taken out first before she dealt with the zombies.

Diana quietly took off the safety which had been on since the fight with Mordecai the gunslinger, raised Saint Sinner Valentine to her right shoulder, and aimed for the zombie dog on the left. She waited until just the right moment, then fired a single shot that ripped through the back of its head and killed it. It yelped and fell to the ground, causing its packmates to turn towards Diana and growl. The zombies also turned to face the huntress and raised their arms before shambling in her direction.

Undaunted by the zombies, Diana focused on picking off the dogs before they got within biting range. She aimed for the right dog and fired a single shot to the head that hit it and killed it. It yelped and fell on its right side, leaving her with only one dog left. It charged at her and reached the ten-meter mark before a bullet ripped through its head and killed it. It pitched forward and rolled on its shoulder for a single revolution before stopping on its right side.

Now that the dogs were no longer a threat, Diana turned her attention to the zombies that were slowly heading for her.

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[Total Word Count: 868/11,000]

The zombies shambled towards Diana with mindless disregard for their own safety, wanting only to feed on her flesh. Diana was not intimidated by them and took aim at the head of the closest zombie, then squeezed the trigger. A single shot through the forehead brought down the first zombie. It paused in place for a moment before suddenly collapsing like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Diana repeated the process of aiming carefully and firing a single shot to the forehead until the remaining nine zombies were dead, this time for real. Once all ten zombies were down Diana remained in place and looked around her for more zombies or more zombie dogs. She heard howling and barking in the distance, which meant that more zombie dogs somewhere in the cemetery. Diana waited another couple of minutes before approaching the branching path and nothing appeared, so she quickly walked towards the path and stopped at the branch to make a choice.

Despite the need to hurry Diana took a moment to look carefully before deciding which way to go. Maybe Amanda had left something behind like a shoe, her iLac, or some other personal belonging that hinted at which direction she had went. Diana looked carefully and did not find anything, so she would just have to pick a direction and hope that she made the right choice. She hurried down the right path and into a section of cemetery with orange Lacrima lanterns perched on top of the tombstones.

-In the next section of cemetery-

Diana ran down the path five meters and stopped when another group of zombie dogs barred the way. There were eight of them standing side-by-side, so she could not bypass them. She also did not want to bypass them because leaving enemies alive now would mean trouble later if she found Amanda alive and they needed to leave the cemetery in a hurry. Diana hurriedly slung Saint Sinner Valentine around her right shoulder, held her hands out in front of her, and channeled silver magic into them and into her body as they charged at her. Once the spell was ready Diana cast In Nomine Luna to wipe out all eight dogs at once.

"IN NOMINE LUNA!" Diana called out the name of the spell. The wide silver beam emanated from her hands and hit all of the dogs at once, erasing them from existence. The path was now clear, but Diana was not free to proceed just yet. She had fifteen zombies to dispose of before she could proceed. She took Saint Sinner Valentine off of her right shoulder, aimed at the head of a female zombie that was three meters to her right, and fired a single shot to the head that dropped a female zombie in a white wedding dress.

With the zombie bride no longer a threat, Diana quickly moved to dispose of the other zombies long before they could get within biting range. Fourteen more shots to the head and thirty more seconds later all the zombies in the immediate area lay on the ground. Now it was safe for Diana to proceed, so she tapped the reload button and began running down the path as quickly as she could move. Once she reached the end of the path she turned left and ran into the next section of Silent Cemetery.

-Inside the next section-

Diana stopped running when she reached just inside the gate and paused to see what was ahead of her. A large stretch of cemetery exactly like the one she had just left behind loomed ahead and it was full of zombies, including twenty on the main path. It seemed like tonight the zombies were out in force, but the walking dead were no obstacle to Diana. She slung her rifle on her right shoulder, raised her hands in front of her, and channeled silver magic for another In Nomine Luna spell to clear the way. Once the spell was ready Diana fired it.

"IN NOMINE LUNA!" Diana called out. The wide silver beam hit the zombies in the path and disintegrated them with no trouble at all. Now all Diana had to do was pick off the zombies on both sides of the main path and the way would be clear. The only problem was the sheer number of zombies... she counted thirty of them around her. However, they would not be a problem for too much longer.

Taking Saint Sinner Valentine off of her shoulder and holding it in her right hand, Diana raised it to her right shoulder, aimed at the zombie closest to her, and fired once she had a clear shot at the head. It went down in a single shot. Now Diana had to take down the rest before she could move on.

-Three minutes later-

After a quick and merciless elimination of the zombies loitering in this section of cemetery the way was finally clear. The huntress tapped the reload button and began to walk down the path towards the next part of the cemetery and looked around her for any zombies she had missed during the elimination earlier. No new zombies presented themselves to her, so Diana briskly walked towards the next part of the cemetery and listened out for zombie dogs... or for Amanda calling for help.

-In the next section of Silent Cemetery-

Diana had just entered the next section of cemetery when she noticed a blue short-sleeved shirt lying on the ground on the main path. She hurried over to it and picked it up. She immediately saw that it had a large tear on the right sleeve and along the neck, suggesting that it had been torn off of the wearer. Diana strongly suspected that the wearer was Amanda because she recalled seeing the blonde wear that style of shirt in most of their previous meetings.

Diana began moving forward while clutching the shirt in her left hand. If Amanda was still alive she might need it because it was fairly cold tonight. The cold wind hit Diana's legs and she shivered a little, but she had to keep going because Amanda might be in trouble. Diana kept moving down the path and eventually reached an open gate that led to yet another part of the cemetery. Diana briskly walked through the gate and walked into an open stretch of cemetery with several small mausoleums in it.

[Post Word Count: 1,076]
[Total Word Count: 1,944/11,000]

-In the next section of Silent Cemetery-

Diana had just walked into a gated section of the cemetery that featured several mausoleums along both sides of the area. Down the middle ran a path and about 100 meters away was an open gate flanked by statues of angels with their arms outstretched as if reaching out to take the viewer into their arms. Diana looked around the area and saw only a few zombies. They were so spread out that taking them out would be a simple task.

Diana aimed at the head a zombie fifteen meters ahead of her, a zombie dressed in full chainmail armor that rattled with each step as it staggered around with a missing left arm. He must have been an adventurer once, but now he was a zombie. Diana took careful aim at the side of his head and fired a single shot, punching through the chainmail with ease and punching clean through the left temple. The zombie adventurer fell to the ground and the chainmail rattled as if to signal its owner's passing.

Diana heard moaning sound through the area and saw a small band of twelve zombies standing in her path about eighteen meters away. One of them had a sword lodged in its chest, suggesting that the former adventurer had tried to fight off his attackers without realizing that stabbing them through the brain was the quickest way to kill them. Six of the other zombies had slash marks on their chests and throats, telling her that the adventurer had put up a fight before he was overwhelmed. Now she had to finish the job he had started.

Diana carefully aimed at the head of the zombie with the sword lodged in its chest and fired a single shot. It went down in one shot and Diana commenced the rapid-fire elimination of the other zombies barring her way. In thirty more seconds they too were lying dead on the ground with a single hole through the forehead apiece.

Now that the zombies were dead Diana tapped the reload button and began walking down the path and past the mausoleums. Thankfully their doors remained firmly shut as she walked past them and towards the angel statues. Diana carefully walked around the dead zombies and got back onto the main path, then continued walking until she reached the angel statues. Diana paused and noticed their calm facial expressions, then passed through the gate.

-In the next section of cemetery-

Diana walked through the open gate and stopped inside a large gated section of cemetery with mausoleums, but her eyes were drawn towards a large statue that dominated the center of the area. A large angel statue made out of granite had its face and arms raised towards the sky as if beseeching some divine entity to help the deceased interred here find eternal rest. All along the left and right sides of the area there were plenty of tombstones arranged in neat rows. There were also zombies, but almost as soon as she saw them she noticed something curious about them.

They were all gathered in front of a small mausoleum in the top left corner bordered by a pedestal with an angel statue that the person could have used as a stepping stone to climb onto the roof of the mausoleum. It was fifty meters away and someone was sitting on top of it with their arms crossed in front of their chest. The zombies were reaching for the person but could not reach them. Diana used her enhanced vision mode to see the person more clearly and the first thing she noticed about them was their hairstyle. The person had their hair in long blonde twintails. Diana was pretty sure that she had just found Amanda Smith, but she would not know for certain until she had rescued the person from their current predicament.

Diana then turned her attention to the zombies and aimed at a bald male zombie wearing black-rimmed glasses and a well-worn black suit. She aimed for the back of his head and fired, taking it down in one shot. When the zombies heard the gunshot they slowly turned away from the person in favor of going after easier prey, but the huntress was anything but "easy" prey. She took them all down in the space of two minutes with a shot to the head apiece and stopped them long before they got within twenty meters of her. Most of them had been taken down at the forty-meter mark, but a few zombies had made it past that point only to be taken down at thirty-five meters.

"UH, HELLO?" A female voice rang out. Diana tapped the reload button, slung Saint Sinner Valentine onto her right shoulder, and walked towards the mausoleum while looking at the person calling out to her.

"Hello there! Are you all right?" Diana called out with her hands cupped over her mouth. Diana heard a gasp.

"DIANA, IS THAT YOU?" The voice asked.

"Yes, it is me!" Diana replied in the affirmative.

"IT'S ME, AMANDA SMITH!" The person identified themselves to Diana. Moments later Diana saw the person jump from the top of the mausoleum and land in a not-so-graceful four-point landing. The person dusted themselves off and stood up. Diana got a good look at them and saw that she was indeed talking to Amanda Smith.

"Hello, Amanda. You may want this." Diana greeted her fellow blonde before handing Amanda the shirt that she had left behind. It was a good thing that Amanda was wearing a black bra because otherwise things could have been very awkward. The twintailed blonde quickly took the shirt and put it on, covering up most of her torso to make interaction a little less awkward.

"Thanks, Diana! It's a good thing that you came along when you did. I've been up there for hours without a shirt!" Amanda thanked Diana for the latter's timely rescue and for giving her her shirt back even though the garment had been ripped too much for it to be of much use. Wearing her ripped shirt, blue shorts, and white tennis shoes, Amanda was hardly dressed for chilly weather.

"It is no problem. It seems that I arrived just in time to rescue you." Diana replied. Amanda gave a weak smile.

"Yeah, you arrived just in time to rescue me." Amanda replied. Diana looked around for any more zombies that she might have missed the first time around and did not see any, so she turned her attention back to Amanda.

"Are you OK, Amanda? Did you get bitten or suffer any other kind of injury?" Diana asked Amanda. The other blonde shook her head and showed Diana her arms and legs to show that she had not been bitten.

"I'm a little cold and more than a little tired, but otherwise I'm fine." Amanda assured her rescuer. The wind blew again and Amanda shivered in the cold. Diana ignored the cold and took Saint Sinner Valentine off of her right shoulder in anticipation of having to fight her way out of the cemetery.

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[Total Word Count: 3,138/11,000]

Having rescued Amanda without any real trouble, Diana walked alongside her fellow blonde while keeping an eye out for zombie Dobermans or for zombies. They walked through the cemetery and towards the gate, keeping an eye out for any zombies literally rising from their graves. Diana was not certain if they would or would not, but she could not rule that possibility out in a place like this.

"How did you get here?" Diana asked Amanda.

"I walked here." Amanda replied, rubbing her arms with her hands in an effort to stay warm. Diana realized that she was not being specific enough and would have to be more precise when repeating the question.

"I meant to ask how you ended up here when your destination was Rose Garden." Diana rephrased the question.

"Ohhhh! Well, you see, I, I... I just made a wrong turn. I stopped too soon when I should have kept going straight." Amanda admitted to Diana. Diana was not sure how in Ishgar Amanda could mistake a desolate place like Silent Cemetery for a bustling town like Rose Garden, but here they were walking in the middle of Silent Cemetery at some time past midnight. At least the huntress did not have to contend with Mordecai while rescuing Amanda. There was that small mercy.

Diana remained silent and the two blondes continued to walk forward. They reached the halfway point of the area and kept walking until they eventually reached the gate. There Amanda spoke again.

"You might want to take the lead, Diana. You've got a weapon and magic. I don't have either of those things." Amanda stepped to the side and suggested that Diana take the lead. Diana agreed.

"Then I will take the lead." Diana accepted the task of leading Amanda to safety. The huntress walked past the twintailed blonde and through the gate. Once Diana had went through Amanda followed behind her.

-In the previous section of Silent Cemetery, ten minutes later-

Diana and Amanda were passing through a section of cemetery where Diana had used an In Nomine Luna spell to clear the main path and then gunned down the remaining zombies. Amanda noticed all of the dead zombies and commented on her rescuer's elimination of the zombie menace in this area.

"It looks like you cleaned this area out. It certainly wasn't clear when I ran through here." Amanda remarked to Diana. Diana did not feel like what she had done was noteworthy because zombies were among the least threatening enemies a mage could encounter. However, she was a mage with a magic that did extra damage to the undead and an assault rifle that could use special Silver Bullets if she needed to take on ghosts and either did not have time to cast a spell or just did not feel like casting one. Still, Diana appreciated the implied praise that was in the remark.

"I did not want anything in our way if we had to make a quick escape." Diana calmly replied. While she did not anticipate having to make a quick escape from the undead, with the presence of those zombie dogs it was a good idea to have a clear escape route in case fighting was not an option. Diana was sure that Amanda would appreciate the huntress' clearing the way for her.

"That was a good idea, Diana. When I ran through here those zombies were everywhere. You couldn't throw a rock without hitting one, but now I don't see a zombie in sight." Amanda commented. That was Diana's intent behind risking delays to take out every zombie and zombie dog she saw. Diana did not know if Amanda was hurt or not and did not want to risk carrying Amanda through a zombie-infested cemetery if she could help it. Thankfully the twintailed blonde with the atrocious sense of direction was unhurt and able to move under her own power.

"We should be able to leave the cemetery without encountering further trouble." Diana opined to her fellow blonde as the two walked down the empty cemetery path and towards the exit. She kept Saint Sinner Valentine ready for action, but considering how thoroughly she had cleared the way up to this point, she should not have to use it.

-Silent Cemetery, near the entrance, forty minutes later-

After a lengthy walk broken up by the occasional pause for a break the two blondes were now standing less than a meter away from the entrance. All they had to do was walk up to the gate, open it, and leave. Then they could be on their way back to Magnolia Town and to the Smith residence.

"We're almost there, Diana. I didn't see any more zombies or those zombie dogs. I believe we're clear!" Amanda said before walking for the gate. Diana quickly followed behind her to make sure that Amanda did not get too far ahead of her and wander off and get lost for the second time tonight.

-Outside the cemetery gates-

Amanda and Diana exited Silent Cemetery and closed the gate behind them. Now that they were out of that dangerous place it should be smooth sailing from here on out. All they had to do was walk to Ace of Spades, buy a pair of train tickets at the train station, and ride the train to Magnolia Town.

"I'm so glad to be out of that place!" Amanda exclaimed and smiled widely.

"Now we need to get to Magnolia Town." Diana replied with a reminder that they were not out of the woods just yet. Only when they got to Magnolia Town and to the Smith residence would they be truly safe. While they no longer had to worry about zombies and zombie dogs, they had to worry about bandits roaming the road between Silent Cemetery and Ace of Spades. Diana could deal with bandits without breaking a sweat, but she was worried about Amanda getting caught in the crossfire if they encountered a bandit gang.

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[Total Word Count: 4,142/11,000]

-Magnolia Town, outside the Smith Residence, six hours later-

Having taken the train from Ace of Spades to Magnolia Town, Amanda and Diana were now standing outside the Smith Residence. Amanda had just ran the doorbell and the two blondes were waiting for Meredith to open the door and let them in. In the meantime Diana looked around them for any threats that had followed them home like local hoodlums, but Diana did not see anything or anyone suspicious, so she relaxed a little. Although the ammunition in Saint Sinner Valentine's magazine had been changed to less-than-lethal munitions and the rifle had been slung on her right shoulder, Diana could take it off of her shoulder and have it ready to use in a little over five seconds if she had to. Still, she did not anticipate any trouble in Fairy Tail's hometown, so that was why she let herself relax a little.

Diana was glad that Mordecai had not decided to make a surprise appearance in Silent Cemetery while she was rescuing Amanda from her predicament deep in the cemetery. She was also glad that Mordecai had not shown up while she was guiding Amanda out of Silent Cemetery because Diana was not sure if she could drive him off before he hurt or killed Amanda just to get back at her. For the time being the gunslinger was hiding somewhere in Earthland and Diana was not inclined to seek him out, not until she got a better weapon to use against him.

The door opened and Meredith looked towards them. She was dressed in an orange t-shirt and blue jeans with tan sandals and a white apron... it looked like she had been cooking something when the two blondes showed up at her doorstep. She saw Amanda's ripped shirt and her mouth opened in surprise. She then turned to Diana, who was none the worse for wear but was dressed more casually than usual. Moments later Meredith turned back to Amanda and spoke to her.

"Amanda! I'm glad to see that you made it back safely! When you called and told me that you were lost in Silent Cemetery I nearly had a heart attack!" Meredith greeted Amanda. Amanda blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, my bad sense of direction struck again. I was on the way to Rose Garden but stopped traveling too soon and ended up in Silent Cemetery. Once I got inside some zombies chased me, so I ran into the cemetery where some other zombies ripped off my shirt while I was running from them and I climbed on top of a mausoleum to get out of their reach. I was stuck on top of it without a shirt for a few hours and it was cold because the wind kept blowing." Amanda gave a brief rundown of her unpleasant experience of having been chased deep into Silent Cemetery by zombies and shivering on top of a mausoleum after losing her shirt to another group of zombies. Diana remained silent and let the twintailed blonde tell her story without interruption and without commentary.

"But Diana here found me in time. She cleared away all the zombies and got me out of there. After that we walked to Ace of Spades and got there without incident, then bought train tickets to Magnolia Town. And here we are." Amanda finished the story. Once she was finished with the story Meredith smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you made it home safely, Amanda. But I should teach you how to read a map or find your way around. I'm worried that one day you'll get lost somewhere and Miss Winchester won't be able to reach you in time!" Meredith told Amanda in a calm tone of voice. Amanda blushed in embarrassment again. Diana continued to remain silent and let the Smith sisters talk without her interrupting them until Meredith turned to Diana.

"I'm so glad that you rescued her again, Miss Winchester. I know that Amanda getting lost all the time is getting to be repetitive, but I appreciate it every time you help her. I don't know what I'd do without you." Meredith thanked Diana for the latter's willingness to drop everything and rescue Amanda every time the twintailed blonde got lost.

"It is no problem." Diana assured Meredith. The brunette smiled at Diana and was about to speak to her when a ringing sound started coming from somewhere close by.

"Amanda, is your iLac ringing?" Meredith asked Amanda.

"No, it's not mine. After I called you I turned it off because it's nearly out of power because I forgot to charge it. Again." Amanda told Meredith that the ringing sound was not hers and brought her iLac out of her shorts pocket to prove it. Meredith then looked towards Diana.

"Miss Winchester, is that your iLac ringing?" Meredith asked Diana. Diana wordlessly took off her backpack, opened it up, and fished out her iLac to show Meredith. Diana showed that it was not ringing and Meredith continued to look towards her.

"If your iLac isn't ringing and neither is Amanda's, then whose iLac is ringing?" Meredith asked the two blondes. Amanda shrugged her shoulders and Diana followed suit. The brunette then reached down and felt her pockets, then pulled her iLac out of her right pocket.

"Oh, it was MY iLac that was ringing!" Meredith said sheepishly before answering the call. Both blondes listened as Meredith began to speak to the person on the other end.

"Oh hi there Uncle Larry! How are you doing?" Meredith greeted the caller. She listened as Uncle Larry talked to her. The brunette was calm at first, but as the conversation continued she grew more and more concerned until by the end of the conversation she was about to panic.

"What? You're in Haunted Castle? How did you end up there?!" Meredith asked Uncle Larry as Amanda approached Diana and stopped, then leaned over to whisper in the huntress' ear.

"Uncle Larry's sense of direction is so bad that he makes me look like I memorized a map of Fiore." Amanda whispered to Diana, who politely nodded. She recalled the story she had been told about Uncle Larry and his own detour into Silent Cemetery while on the way to Rose Garden for a Halloween party. The huntress wondered where he had to be going to take such a detour that he end up in Haunted Castle.

[Post Word Count: 1,074]
[Total Word Count: 5,216/11,000]

"You said that you were on the way to Clover Town when you got lost and ended up in Haunted Castle?" Meredith indirectly provided an answer to the question that Diana had on her mind, which was where in Earthland their uncle could possibly be going for him to end up in Haunted Castle. When Amanda heard where her uncle was she winced.

"Haunted Castle? That's not good." Amanda dryly commented. She was right. Haunted Castle was one of the worst places for someone to get lost in.

"Does your uncle have any magic with which to defend himself?" Diana whispered a question to Amanda as Meredith continued to talk to their lost uncle. Amanda shook her head.

"No. Uncle Larry doesn't have any magic... unless you count his ability to get lost." Amanda replied in the negative. Diana frowned.

"Does your uncle carry any weapons with him when he travels?" Diana asked Amanda another question. Again Amanda shook her head.

"No, he doesn't carry any weapons." Amanda reported. Diana was not happy to hear that, but not everyone had access to the resources she had to buy high-quality weapons that could deal with the kinds of threats she was used to dealing with. Not everyone needed access to them either.

"OK, Uncle Larry, stay inside the castle in the safest place you can find and don't try to leave the area because you'll only get even more lost!" Meredith urged her uncle to remain where he was, which was inside the castle. Diana was not sure that staying inside the castle would be that safe, but there was not a whole lot of choice at the moment. She just hoped that Uncle Larry would stay safe until rescue could arrive.

"OK, Uncle Larry, listen to me. I'm going to send someone to you soon, so please, please stay somewhere safe until they get there!" Meredith urged her uncle to do his best to remain safe. She then hung up the phone and turned to Diana. The huntress did not need three guesses to know who was going to be sent on the rescue mission.

"Diana, I know that this isn't what you signed up for, but I really need your help right now. My Uncle Larry's in Haunted Castle and I'm afraid that if he's left alone too long he'll wander off deeper into the castle. I need you to go rescue him!" Meredith requested that Diana go to the rescue of her uncle. While Diana had not anticipated this turn of events, she was willing to go rescue their uncle because she was already geared up for a trip into Haunted Castle. She was also not going to walk away from the Smith family in their time of need. However, time was of the essence, so she needed to announce her decision and do it quickly.

"I will go to Haunted Castle and rescue your uncle, Meredith." Diana assured Meredith that she would take the sudden job opportunity. Diana was not going to leave the man to die in Haunted Castle if she could help it. Meredith and Amanda's faces lit up.

"Really? Thank you!" Meredith thanked Diana for accepting the sudden rescue mission. It was not a difficult choice to make. She could not leave her client's uncle to die in a place like Haunted Castle because rescuing him was the right thing to do.

"Uncle Larry's kinda hard to miss, Diana. He's got short black hair and blue eyes. He's also got a long scratch on his left arm from that time he got lost in Silent Cemetery and he wears clothing that old people wear. He really likes sweater vests. He's also fond of the color orange for some reason, so look for a guy wearing an orange sweater vest." Amanda clued Diana in on what her uncle looked like.

"OK. I will get going immediately." Diana told the Smith sisters before turning around and starting to walk away.

"Good luck, Diana!" Meredith called out.

"Good luck, Diana!" Amanda called out. Diana turned around and waved farewell to them, then resumed walking for the town outskirts. Once she had reached the outskirts and found a place where no one was watching her, Diana would teleport to Haunted Castle to get there as quickly as she could. She did not have time to take the scenic route to her destination because Haunted Castle was rather dangerous for a mundane person with no weapons and if she took too long to get there Uncle Larry would probably end up dead by the time she found him.

-Outside Haunted Castle, ten minutes later-

It took Diana longer to find a secluded place in which to safely use her teleport ability than it did to get to Haunted Castle once she used the ability. Now Diana was standing outside the double doors of the forbidding castle. She had been here a few times before, so she had some idea of what to expect. She just hoped that Larry Smith was still alive somewhere in the castle.

Diana approached the right door, twisted the doorknob, and opened the door. Once it creaked open she went inside and shut the door behind her.

[Post Word Count: 872]
[Total Word Count: 6,088/11,000]

-Inside Haunted Castle-

Diana stepped inside the castle to find that the foyer had retained the splendidly decorated look it sported the last time she was here. The elaborate brass chandeliers with actual candles in them burning overhead were still there and still providing illumination even though she had no need of it thanks to her ability to see in darkness with her night vision mode. The red carpet with gold borders was still there and still provided a touch of color to the foyer. The paintings of farm life and of the hunt were still in place and were all free of dust.

Diana took her eyes off the paintings and decided to go right. She had a feeling that Larry Smith had not remained where he was as Meredith had requested he do. She suspected that he had ventured deeper into the castle, possibly even climbed the stairs to the second floor. Diana walked down the right hallway while keeping a watch out for any opposition from the castle's denizens. She also listened out for trouble while walking down the hall.

Diana walked down the hallway past paintings of rustic scenes like a shepherd boy watching his flock of sheep with a dog that looked like a Border Collie at his side and other masterfully made paintings. They were all so beautiful and detailed that Diana found her eyes drawn to them even though she was not an art connoisseur. The colors were vivid, the scenes detailed, and the paintings perfectly framed and hung at three-meter intervals on the walls so that the viewer could appreciate each and every painting.

Diana was mesmerized by them, so much so that she found it difficult to keep moving forward despite the urgency of her mission. It took considerable effort to tear herself away from them, but she finally managed to do so and resume her quest to find Larry Smith. Diana had to keep her eyes on the floor to keep from looking at the paintings again and losing even more time, time that Larry Smith might not have. After a bit of walking Diana found the stairwell on the right side of the hall and ascended the stairs.

-On the second floor-

Diana stepped onto the second floor and paused in place, looking all around her for enemies. Once she was certain that there were no enemies on the way she began to examine her surroundings in more detail. While looking around she noticed several differences in decor between the first and second floors.

Unlike the first floor, the second floor was lit by Lacrima lanterns that glowed a warm and inviting yellow-orange. Diana noticed more paintings hanging on the walls and the theme of the section in front of her was scenes of the hunt. She looked down the hallway that led to the stairwell that gave access to the third floor and did not see any signs of Mr. Smith, so she decided to go straight and look down the hallway that curved around before leading back to the main hall in case he had dropped a clue there.

Diana walked down the hallway until it turned right, then followed the turn and glanced down the brightly lit hallway that was lit by the same Lacrima lanterns that lit the main hall of the second floor. A little over halfway down the hall was a small black object lying on the floor. Her curiosity piqued, Diana carefully walked over to the object and when she got to it bent down and picked it up with her left hand. When her hand closed around it she stood up with her prize and examined it.

It was a man's black dress shoe. Diana was fairly certain it belonged to Mr. Smith, who Amanda claimed was a man who "wears clothing that old people wear." Presumably she was referring to the orange sweater vest he was wearing, but that description could also extend to his choice of footwear. Diana would find out when she found him.

Carrying the shoe in her left hand, Diana began to walk down the rest of the side hall until it branched right, then followed it until she was back on the main hall of the second floor. Once back on the main hall she followed it past more paintings hanging on the wall until she reached the stairwell that led to the third floor. Upon reaching it Diana began to climb it until she reached the third floor.

-On the third floor-

Diana finished climbing the stairs and paused, taking a moment to look around her.

She found herself standing in a large banquet hall with an immaculate wooden floor and numerous tapestries on the wall. The most prominent of them was a tapestry that was positioned at the very center of the left wall. Diana did not remember it being there before, but  it could have always been there and she just did not pick up on it until now.

The tapestry that had drawn her attention bore a black shield with red swords crossed diagonally down. Below the shield was a motto woven in a strange lettering style and woven in a language she did not recognize. The words were woven in black and located on a white scroll positioned just below the black shield.

"NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT"

"No one attacks me with impunity." A male voice provided a translation of the words to Diana. Diana immediately looked towards her right and saw a man standing at a long, rectangular wooden table. He stood up and began walking towards Diana.

"It's Latin. I studied it when I was a young man many years ago. I was roughly your age when I was a university student." The man said to her. Diana took a closer look at him and saw that he was a black-haired man with short hair wearing an orange sweater vest with a white dress shirt and brown dress pants with black dress shoes... er, shoe. He was missing the shoe from his left foot. Diana examined him with her Guardian's Sight vision mode to make sure that she was not dealing with a vampire trying to disguise himself as a normal human to get within attack range of the huntress.

After looking him over, she learned that the man was a real human.

He approached to within a meter of Diana and noticed the shoe being held in her left hand. His face lit up in joy.

"Oh, you found my shoe! That's wonderful! I lost my shoe earlier when I saw this strange gentleman in a black tuxedo and ran from him!" The man told her. His face then showed an expression of realization.

"I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Larry Smith!" The man introduced himself to Diana.

"I am Diana Winchester." Diana introduced herself to him.

"You must be the person my nieces said was coming here to rescue me!" Mr. Smith said. Diana nodded.

"Oh, how wonderful! I can't wait to get out of here and get back home!" He exclaimed in excitement. Diana had found the man she was supposed to rescue. Now the real challenge was to get him back home safely.

[Post Word Count: 1,209]
[Total Word Count: 7,297/11,000]

-Magnolia Town, outside the Smith Residence, ten hours later-

Diana and Mr. Smith had arrived in Magnolia Town after an arduous walk from Haunted Castle to Magnolia Town. They had not run into the strange man he had told her about and Diana was glad. Both of them had left Haunted Castle as fast as their legs could carry them and had walked all the way from Haunted Castle to Magnolia Town with very few stops. Now both of them were so tired that they wanted to sit down somewhere and stop moving for awhile... that "somewhere" would soon be inside the Smith Residence.

The pair were standing outside and enjoying being away from Haunted Castle when Mr. Smith recovered first and approached the door to his home. He walked up to it and knocked three times on the door. He waited patiently and Diana watched him from a short distance away while she recovered from the lengthy walk.

The door opened and on the other end stood Meredith. She took one look at the man standing outside and she reached out and hugged him.

"UNCLE LARRY! YOU MADE IT!" Meredith exclaimed while hugging the man. Mr. Smith hugged his niece and his left shirt sleeve was pushed up just enough for her to glimpse the old scar he had gotten from his fateful trip into Silent Cemetery.

"Yes, I made it out safely thanks to Miss Winchester." He said to her. Meredith released him and looked at him with concern.

"Did she... did she make it too?" Meredith asked her uncle. The brunette sounded like she was under the impression that Diana had died in the rescue attempt. Diana herself soon stepped forward to correct that mistaken impression.

"I am still alive." Diana replied calmly and waved at the brunette. Meredith turned from her uncle to the huntress and smiled.

"I'm so relieved to hear that, Miss Winchester. I was worried that I had sent you to your death. You had worked so hard rescuing Amanda from Silent Cemetery that I was afraid that you might not have enough energy to save Uncle Larry and get back alive. I'm glad that I was wrong." Meredith confessed to Diana that she was worried that she had sent the huntress to her death. Diana was much less offended by the implied insult to her abilities than Meredith had suspected. The blonde was harder to kill than she appeared to be. If zombie dogs, zombies, ghosts, Raven Squad, and Mordecai the gunslinger had all failed to kill Diana, then it was probably not her time to go yet.

Diana remained quiet as Mr. Smith went inside the house. Meredith turned back towards the house and was about to go inside when she turned to face Diana.

"Do you want to come in? You must be tired!" Meredith offered for Diana to come inside and rest awhile. Diana shook her head.

"No thank you. I must be going." Diana politely refused the offer.

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked the huntress if she was certain that she wanted to leave instead of staying awhile. Diana was certain.

"I am sure. I appreciate the offer, but I must be going now." Diana said to Meredith. The brunette appeared momentarily disappointed by Diana rejecting the offer but then smiled.

"OK then. But before you go, allow me to pay you for your work." Meredith said and turned around. She went inside the house while Diana waited patiently outside. Three minutes later Meredith returned with a large bag of Jewels that she handed to Diana.

"Thanks again for rescuing Amanda and Uncle Larry. I can't express how much that means to me!" Meredith thanked Diana for rescuing two family members in one day.

"It is no problem." Diana assured the brunette. Meredith waved goodbye and went back inside her house to celebrate her uncle's safe return from Haunted Castle. Diana, having received her payment for rescuing both Amanda and Larry Smith, was heading for home. There was nothing more for her to do in Magnolia Town, at least not today.

-Capital Crocus, the next day, 12:00 P.M.-

Diana, having put on her casual outfit from yesterday, was going to take a little time for herself before she looked for another job. She would go to Capital Coffee to get a double espresso or two. Once she had gotten some caffeine she would go to Capital Crocus Mall and waste some time there before going home and looking for another job.

At least that was the plan.

Diana might run into an acquaintance of hers and might get a job opportunity out of the blue. Or she might run into a total stranger who needed help with something and get a job opportunity out of the blue. Or it might be a lazy day where everything went to plan and nothing out of the ordinary happened. She had no way of knowing what the day might offer.

After a bit of walking through the busy streets of Capital Crocus Diana finally reached the door of Capital Coffee. She opened the door and went inside the coffee shop that was a refuge from the world. Soon the huntress would get her caffeine fix and be ready to take on the world again.

[Post Word Count: 883]
[Total Word Count: 8,180/11,000]

-Inside Capital Coffee, 12:10 P.M.-

Diana entered Capital Coffee to find that it was a hub of activity for the Crocus Magicka University crowd. The line ahead of her had twenty-six people in it and she made customer number twenty-seven. As far as she knew the huntress had nothing pressing to do today, so she could afford to be patient and wait her turn in line.

Diana had just settled into her place in the back of the line when the door opened behind her. She felt a tap on her right shoulder and turned around to face whoever had tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw her old acquaintance Jasmine DuClare. She was wearing a white Crocus Magicka University t-shirt with the letters CMU printed in pink and a black skirt with black tennis shoes.

"Hey Diana! It's been awhile!" Jasmine greeted Diana.

"Hello Jasmine. It has been awhile since we last met." Diana greeted Jasmine. The brunette smiled at her.

"How have you been?" Jasmine asked Diana.

"I have been doing well for myself. I have been busy, though." Diana replied calmly and told the truth. Jasmine smiled again.

"Me too, Diana. I've been busy balancing working here and classes at Crocus Magicka University. I've been doing well so far. Thankfully my boss let me rework my schedule a little so that I can attend classes and have a little time to study or do homework before I have to go to work, but it's still a precarious balancing act." Jasmine told Diana about how things were going in her life. Diana was pleased to hear that her acquaintance was doing well for herself.

"I'm here to get a coffee a couple of hours before I have class. I take it you're here for coffee too?" Jasmine asked Diana. Diana nodded.

"Yes. I am here for a double espresso or two." Diana replied and informed Jasmine of her favorite coffee. The brunette recoiled in disbelief.

"You can drink two double espressos?" Jasmine asked in disbelief. Diana nodded.

"I have a high caffeine tolerance." Diana answered and gave the reason why she could drink two of the potent beverages in a row with no adverse effects.

"I can only drink a single espresso before I get the jitters. One time I drank two single espressos and I couldn't sit down for an hour. It was a miserable time." Jasmine recounted her experience with excess caffeine consumption. Diana had drank coffee for so long that she did not remember the last time she had had a caffeine rush. She was not remembering that particular experience off the top of her head, so rather than struggle in vain to recall the experience the blonde just let the subject drop. Jasmine did too and together the pair waited in line to get their beverages of choice.

-Forty-three minutes later-

After a forty-minute wait to get their drinks Diana and Jasmine had claimed a table in the center of the coffee shop and were seated. They had begun drinking their respective coffees after allowing them three minutes to cool down. Diana had gotten her first double espresso and Jasmine had gotten her single espresso and they were now facing each other while drinking their coffee. Diana was drinking from her cup when Jasmine asked a question out of the blue.

"So, Diana... just out of idle curiosity, do you plan on ever retiring from being a mage?" Jasmine asked the blonde. Diana lowered her cup and set it on the table. The brunette took that as a sign that the blonde was offended by the question and quickly backpedaled.

"If it's a personal question you don't want to answer, then just tell me and I'll change the subject." Jasmine said to Diana. Diana gave a small smile.

"That will not be necessary, Jasmine." Diana assured her acquaintance before answering the question.

"I have entertained the idea of retirement briefly, but it is not happening any time soon, Jasmine." Diana replied calmly. The huntress had entertained a variety of retirement plans but had shelved all of them. Right now she could not make the transition from the exciting life of a mage to a less exciting and mundane life. Besides, the Jewels she could make as a mage were just too good to walk away from.

"That's fair, Diana. It seems like you have a good thing going. You live a life of adventure and don't have too many dull moments. You also make big money, more than I make right now. I probably wouldn't walk away from that kind of life without giving it some serious thought." Jasmine opined. The brunette was mostly right... Diana lived a life of adventure and had few dull moments. It was true that Diana also made big money. However, she had to put in a lot of hard work to make the big money and sometimes that hard work put her in harm's way.

"I agree with you that I have a good thing going, Jasmine. There is hardly a dull moment in my life. And if you do not mind working long hours and traveling far from home you can make quite a bit of money as a mage." Diana told Jasmine a true statement. Diana hardly had any dull moments because she was almost always at work and traveling to interesting locales like Silent Cemetery, Haunted Castle, Fat Monsterland, and other places the average person did not go to. She also worked long hours; sometimes a single job took her most of a day to complete due to a combination of travel time to the destination and the time it took to actually complete the task she had been hired to complete. However, Diana was paid well for her efforts, so she did not mind too much. The brunette smiled.

"I'm glad that you've found your place in the world, Diana. I'm still looking to find my place. I'm not sure if my place is in Capital Crocus or if it's somewhere else, but I'm looking for it." Jasmine said to the blonde before raising her cup to take another sip of coffee. Diana took another sip of her double espresso and listened to her acquaintance talk about Crocus Magicka University and all the classes she was taking. Jasmine was not sure what she wanted to do with her life, but at least she was taking steps to find out what she wanted to do. Diana was sure that the brunette would one day succeed in finding her place in the world.

[Post Word Count: 1,100]
[Total Word Count: 9,280/11,000]

-Capital Crocus Mall, 2:25 P.M.-

After parting ways with Jasmine roughly thirty minutes ago Diana had entered Capital Crocus Mall in order to kill a little more time before she returned home and found another job to take. Diana was not here for anything in particular... she just wanted to walk around like a normal person and maybe do some window shopping. If in the course of her window shopping she found something that she really liked she might actually buy something. That was not a guarantee, however.

Diana walked towards the food court and then turned left, making her way towards the stairs. She would check out the second and third floors and see if anything caught her eye. Diana started walking up the staircase and seamlessly merged with a group of people ascending the stairs. Another group of people started climbing the stairs behind her and Diana kept moving towards her destination without pausing.

-The second floor, three minutes later-

Thanks to the group of people in front of her moving at a brisk pace Diana got off the stairs on the second floor within three minutes of getting on the stairs. She quickly walked away from the stairs to avoid blocking the stairs and stopped next to the far left wall a short distance from The Modern Woman, a clothing store that she had visited a few times before. Diana wanted to go inside and see what new clothing the store had to offer, but the store was crammed full of young female shoppers and a few middle-aged women. Diana did not want to fight the crowds, so she mentally crossed The Modern Woman off of her list of places to go.

Once the coast was clear Diana continued her walk around the second floor. She walked at a leisurely pace and looked at all the people around her. She saw many young couples of people her age going into and out of stores, friend groups going into and out of stores, middle-aged people walking with their families, and a few elderly people sitting on the benches watching people walk by. There was a lot of life in this mall and the huntress had never noticed it before.

Diana kept walking and spotted an athletic apparel store called The Athlete's Edge. She was tempted to go into it and look for a new pair of tennis shoes, but just like with The Modern Woman, The Athlete's Edge was crammed full of shoppers. It was so full that there were a few people waiting for a chance to go inside. Diana was not going to be among them, so she made a mental note to return to the shop later when it was not so crowded.

Diana walked past The Athlete's Edge and continued her lap around the second floor. Diana was not terribly disappointed by two of the stores she wanted to go into being crowded because buying things was a secondary concern to her. She also knew that going into the mall during its busiest time and expecting stores to not be full of shoppers was unrealistic. Therefore the huntress decided to wait until another day before going shopping for shoes.

Diana walked around the second floor until she was satisfied, then decided to go to the third floor... or she would have if she did not see Francesca Corlone heading straight for her!

The huntress had no idea where Francesca had come from and she was not happy to see her old enemy. After rescuing two members of the Smith family in one day and meeting Jasmine DuClare she had been having a good day until Francesca appeared. Now the other blonde was going to do her best to make Diana have a bad day. It was too late to try and get away, so Diana had no choice but to stand her ground against her old enemy.

"YOU AGAIN!" Francesca screeched at Diana, inevitably drawing the attention of the passing shoppers. Diana frowned and not just because she was seeing someone she detested. She hated being the center of attention and Francesca's screeching had drawn the attention of a lot of people on to them.

"Yes. It is me again." Diana replied dryly. She was in no mood for this. She just wanted to get out of here and get away from the drama.

"What are you doing here, bitch?" Francesca asked in a belligerent manner. It was painfully obvious that the other blonde was spoiling for a fight. No matter how much she detested Francesca, Diana was not going to take the bait and get arrested over something stupid.

"I was here shopping. Now I am about to leave." Diana truthfully told her enemy. The huntress turned to walk away and had made it five steps when she felt Francesca grab her shoulders and forcefully spin her around. Diana came face-to-face with an angry Francesca.

"I WAS TALKING TO YOU, BITCH! YOU DON'T WALK AWAY WHEN SOMEONE'S TALKING TO YOU!" Francesca shouted at Diana. The huntress bristled after being touched by her enemy. She also bristled at Francesca lecturing her about manners. Diana recalled her encounter with Francesca on board the Gambler's Paradise and how she was going to shove Stella Herschel over the railing of the third deck over an argument that Francesca had started.

"I do not want to talk to you, so I am asking you to leave me alone." Diana replied calmly but pointedly. She then turned around to walk away a second time. Diana had managed to make it ten steps before she was forcibly halted and spun around to face her tormentor.

"DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU RUDE BITCH!" Francesca screeched. Diana frowned even deeper. She had had just about enough of Francesca for today. Diana's patience was wearing thin, but she had to remain patient in order to avoid looking like the aggressor in this conflict. Instead of ignoring her or saying something that was really rude, Diana decided to humor the other blonde and talk to her.

"Well then, what did you want to say to me?" Diana bluntly asked Francesca. Francesca was momentarily taken aback by the blunt question and was scrambling for words.

"I am waiting." Diana said calmly.

[Post Word Count: 1,052]
[Total Word Count: 10,332/11,000]

"What do you want to talk about?" Diana asked Francesca, who was still at a loss for words. The other blonde had likely expected a snide remark from Diana, but she did not give her enemy the pleasure of having goaded Diana into a fight. The huntress was especially determined not to fight Francesca in public, where the latter could spin the story to make Diana look like the villain.

"I... I..." Francesca said in audible confusion as she could not come up with any words. Diana crossed her arms over her chest and stood still. If the other blonde wanted to talk, now was the time.

"I am waiting." Diana repeated calmly. Francesca sputtered and stammered but could not think of anything to say. The crowd's eyes were all on Francesca now and the other blonde was feeling the pressure. Diana had not intended to turn the spotlight back on Francesca with her humoring the obnoxious blonde, but it was a welcome surprise. Now Francesca could not act against Diana without looking like the aggressor, which the former had been from the very beginning of the "conversation."

Francesca frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. All eyes were on her and the pressure was getting to be too much for her to bear. Diana watched her in case Francesca decided to take a swing at her, but to the huntress' surprise the latter did no such thing. She stomped her foot and spun around.

"You know what? NEVER MIND!" Francesca shouted and stormed off towards the other side of the second floor, leaving Diana standing victorious as the crowd dispersed and began to go about their business. Diana had won without throwing a single punch or a single verbal barb at her enemy. She smiled a little as she walked in the direction opposite the one Francesca had stormed off in. She would take the stairs and leave the mall while the going was good.

After a short and brisk walk Diana reached the stairs. She began to walk down them and after a careful descent she reached the first floor.

-On the first floor-

Diana stepped off of the stairs near the food court and started walking at a casual pace, turning right and starting down the entrance hall. She had had enough window shopping for one day. She also wanted to get out of here before Francesca worked up the nerve for a second confrontation and sought her out. By the time her enemy came looking for her Diana would have left the mall.

Diana calmly walked through the hall towards the mall exit without looking back. She did not want to draw attention to herself by constantly looking back while moving, so she kept facing forward like she did not have a care in the world. The huntress walked in a carefree fashion until she reached the doors leading out of the mall. She reached out with her right hand and opened one of them, then walked through it and carefully shut the door behind her.

-Capital Coffee, six hours later-

After going home for awhile and giving Francesca enough time to go home, Diana had re-emerged around 8:40 P.M. and paid a visit to Capital Coffee because she was unwilling to call it a day just yet. Since her leisurely walk around the mall had been interrupted by her old enemy Francesca Corlone, Diana wanted to do something else to make up for that interruption. Now the huntress was sitting in her favorite white pod chair and watching people walk by her on their nightly routines while sipping from a single espresso. Right now the huntress was the closest she could get to being happy.

She needed to head back home and begin a serious search for more work, but right now she was content to sit still because she was always on the move, always looking for work. Diana listened to the music playing overhead and heard a soft piano piece that sounded a bit like the intro to Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 before a young woman started singing about meeting her boyfriend under the moonlight. Perhaps the artist sampled that old classical music piece when they made their song.

Diana sipped from her single espresso and watched the people go by as she half-listened to the music overhead. She wondered who the people walking by her were and where they were going. She also wondered what they did for a living. Diana did not expect to ever get answers to those questions... they were the result of idle curiosity. The blonde finished her single espresso and stood up from her chair. It was time for her to go home for real, but not before she got another cup of espresso for the road.

Diana walked over to the counter and ordered a refill of her single espresso. She paid for the beverage and waited patiently for the drink to be filled, then took the cup when it was handed back to her. With her drink in her left hand Diana walked for the door to the coffee shop. She opened it, went through it, and closed it behind her.

-The streets of Capital Crocus, 9:10 P.M.-

Diana walked along the streets and took a sip from her espresso cup whenever it was safe to do so. The sidewalks were not nearly as crowded as they got during the day, but there were still plenty of people and she did not want to bump into them and spill hot coffee all over herself. As she walked she thought about her rescue of Amanda Smith from Silent Cemetery and the following rescue of Larry Smith from Haunted Castle yesterday. Diana had not expected to rescue two members of the Smith family in one day, but she had managed to rescue both of them and return them to Magnolia Town utterly exhausted from walking but otherwise alive and unharmed.

She had collected a big payday as a result of her work and had even enjoyed spending a bit of it by taking two trips to Capital Coffee and a trip to the mall. While the trip to the mall had been interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an old enemy, it was still sort of fun to go window shopping and be among ordinary people like an ordinary young woman her age. Now that she had drank two single espressos Diana was ready to go home and look for more work so that she could keep the money coming in.

One day Diana would retire from being a mage, but that day would be many years in the future after she had built up a sizable nest egg to retire on and she had done everything she wanted to do. Until that day came the huntress would keep working and keep earning money. She would also keep looking for a way out of life in the shadows so that one day she could walk in the light.

[Post Word Count: 1,174]
[Total Word Count: 11,506/11,000]