Rescuing Professor Fauntleroy

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 6, Post Number 143

-Mysterious Canyon, early afternoon-

Wearing her tan desert clothing along with her backpack of supplies that included plenty of water, Urban Nights Glowstick in her left side pants pocket, and Saint Sinner Valentine slung on her right shoulder, Diana also wore her SHG-IV Smart Glasses in order to communicate with Ami, who was soaring overhead in her usual role as the huntress' eye in the sky. Diana had been called to the Mysterious Canyon area by Crocus Magicka University professor Charles Fauntleroy, a person she had worked with on a couple of previous occasions. He needed her help to pack up his camp and then protect them as they passed through Mysterious Canyon on their way back to Capital Crocus after an unsuccessful search for signs of an ancient civilization once thought to have inhabited the canyon centuries ago. She was to meet them in the canyon, help pack up the camp, and escort them back to Capital Crocus.

Diana took a deep breath of warm air and listened out for Ami's report on any activity in the canyon. When no report was forthcoming she took another deep breath of hot canyon air. She then walked forward into the canyon she had traveled through barely a week before on her mission to rescue Amanda Smith before the blonde with an atrocious sense of direction died from heatstroke.

"Hey Diana, I'm not seeing anything down in the canyon. That Professor Fauntleroy dude and his team must have set up their camp pretty deep in the canyon!" Ami reported to her owner. Diana was not terribly surprised to hear that. The professor was a strange man with a poor opinion of Dr. Anna and an uncommon fondness for tea, but no one could say that the man was not devoted to his profession. He was a hard worker who often burned the midnight oil to help his team when they needed him and spared no expense to give them the tools they needed to succeed. Diana had nothing but respect for that kind of person.

"I would not be surprised if his camp is deep in the canyon, Ami. Professor Fauntleroy will travel far and wide to find what he is after." Diana complimented the man for his tenacity. She looked forward to working with him again, but first she had to travel through the canyon to find his camp.

Diana passed by the cave where she had taken shelter with Amanda and Ami on the way out of the canyon a little over a week ago. Amanda had gotten a nasty sunburn and was showing early signs of heatstroke along with saying things that were serious self-deprecation. Amanda had called herself a "burden" to her older sister Meredith and Diana. The twintailed blonde especially disliked herself for managing to find new ways to get lost and always needing Diana's help to get back home safely. Diana had also gotten some confirmation of Amanda's belief that she was a burden when Meredith talked about her younger sister's tendency to get lost and how she dreaded an iLac call from Amanda because the older Smith did not know where Amanda would call her from.

Diana could not help but to feel that Amanda was right about her older sister. Diana got from Meredith a feeling that she put up with her younger sister only out of familial obligation, much like Melody had put up with Diana because they were sisters. Even then Melody did not have much to do with Diana other than when their mother forced them to... Diana much preferred the company of Lucia anyway because Lucia was not abusive towards the youngest Winchester sister.

Diana turned away from the cave, shoved the thoughts of her family out of her mind, and kept walking. She listened out for Ami's next report as she left the cave behind along with memories from what might as well have been a lifetime ago. Her family life was not the best and some things were best left buried in the past. However, after receiving reports from multiple reliable sources that Lucia was alive and well, Diana might have no choice but to confront her past when she finally reunited with Lucia.

Diana pushed those thoughts aside and pushed deeper into the canyon. She had to hurry and make contact with the professor before nightfall. She had gotten here early in the afternoon, so she still had some daylight. Diana also had some knowledge of the area plus Ami flying overhead to make sure she was going in the right direction, so as long as she stayed on course and did not take any unnecessary detours there was little chance of getting lost. Ami zoomed down to Diana's right and landed in a hurry, kicking up sand as she came to a stop just a half-meter from the huntress.

"Hey Diana, I think I see something in the distance! It looks like smoke! It's to our north!" Ami reported to Diana. Diana felt her heart skip a beat as she began to jog in the direction of the smoke and Ami took off to guide the huntress. She hoped that the professor and his team had not been attacked by bandits.

[Post Word Count: 875]
[Total Word Count: 875/7,000]

-Two hours later, deeper in Mysterious Canyon-

Diana hurried to the site of the smoke as fast as she could and found that her worst fears had come true. While standing twenty-five meters away from the camp she spotted tents lying in charred ruins and the bodies of Professor Fauntleroy's team lying on the sand all around the camp. Some of the tents had been burned and their contents were still smoking... Diana thought that she could see bodies lying just outside of the scorched tents, but she was not really sure if they had been burned or were just scorched from proximity to the flames and part of her did not want to find out. Ami whirled overhead and looped around, performing a hurried landing to Diana's right.

"Man, this place was trashed!" Ami declared. Diana remained silent as she looked over the camp and used her Smart Glasses to scan for survivors or for any signs of life. So far she was not picking up anything, not even a vulture landing to begin eating the bodies.

"Ami, please fly overhead and search for any survivors. I will search for Professor Fauntleroy." Diana requested as calmly as she could. She was keeping a stoic face, but internally she was distressed by what she was seeing. She should have teleported here right away, but she had decided to take the scenic route and now the professor and his team were paying for it.

"OK! I'll keep an eye out for whoever did this as well and let you know if they're coming back or if anyone approaches the camp!" Ami replied before taking off into the air, leaving a distraught Diana to begin her search for survivors on the ground. Diana took a deep breath and walked into the camp to look for anyone who might have survived the bandit attack.

-Inside the camp-

Diana began to walk around the edges of the camp with the intent of working her way to the center. She used her Smart Glasses to look for anyone who was playing dead to fool the attackers into leaving, but so far every expedition member she had found lying on the sand was dead for real. They had multiple bullet wounds to the torso and had bled out long ago. All of them were young adults around Diana's age or just a couple of years younger than she was.

Having confirmed that all of them were truly dead, Diana turned towards the interior of the camp and began walking towards it to search for anyone who may have escaped the massacre and taken shelter in the few tents that had not been put to the torch. Diana spotted one and approached it... she had gotten within five steps of it when out came three expedition members, two males and a female.

"Don't shoot us!" One of the males, a dark-haired young man with a bullet wound in his left shoulder, pleaded. Diana had no intention of doing so because she was here to rescue them, not finish what the attackers had started.

"Do not worry. I am here to help. Professor Fauntleroy sent for me, but I fear that I am too late to be of help." Diana informed them. The female, a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair who had a grazing wound on her right arm that had been crudely bandaged with gauze, looked at Diana.

"It was a mess. We were starting to take down the camp when all these men in black clothes rode up to the camp and began firing at us. They didn't demand food, money, nothing. They just started shooting and riding through the camp shooting anyone they could find. There's a few of us who survived, but we don't know where the professor is." The young woman told Diana a bit about the attackers and how the massacre started. Diana frowned deeply. Based on the description of their clothes and their tactics, she knew exactly who the attackers were... she had fought a bandit gang named The Marauders alongside Ben several months ago. Diana thought that they had all been killed or rounded up, but she had been sorely mistaken.

"I will start looking for the professor. I need your help to find the other survivors." Diana informed the trio. They nodded.

"We'll begin searching the camp for our friends. You go look for the professor. His tent isn't too far from here.. I'd say about ten meters at most." The dark-haired young man told Diana and pointed to the west. Diana nodded.

"Very well then." Diana said and began walking to the west without further ado.

"Hey Diana, I see that you found some survivors!" Ami spoke to Diana.

"I did. Ami, please keep them safe while I go west. I was told that the professor's tent is not too far from here. Please fly overhead and keep an eye out for trouble." Diana requested.

"Sure thing, Diana!" Ami replied. Diana hurried west and could see a lone tent standing at the distance the young man had told her it was. Hopefully Professor Fauntleroy was still alive and not lying dead on the tent floor. If he was not in his tent, maybe he had fled the tent and hurried to hide elsewhere when he heard the sounds of gunfire and screaming coming from the main camp.

[Post Word Count: 900]
[Total Word Count: 1,775/7,000]

-Inside the professor's tent-

With Saint Sinner Valentine at the ready and loaded with normal ammunition, Diana entered the professor's tent and began searching for him. While it was likely he was hiding outside, the huntress had entered the tent anyway to search for clues to his whereabouts. Maybe he had left something behind like footprints or a trail of spilled tea for her to follow.

Diana stood in the middle of the tent and surveyed the scene. Lying on the ground were Professor Fauntleroy's books, notebooks, and other research materials lying scattered about the tent. The corkboard with a map of the Mysterious Canyon area was overturned in the bottom right corner of the tent. The professor's hotplate and kettle of tea were overturned in the top left corner and a shattered white porcelain cup lay on the ground. The place was an absolute mess.

Diana looked around for clues but was unable to find any. She had likely stepped on footprints outside the tent and the professor's tea cup lay shattered on the floor. The huntress stood and tried to figure out where exactly he could have fled to. The tent flap opened and Dian spun around to find one of the professor's assistants standing inside. She lowered Saint Sinner Valentine and listened to the dark-haired young man speak to her.

"We've found everyone who's still alive. Everyone except the professor." He informed her. Diana frowned.

"How many of you are still alive?" Diana asked him.

"Ten of us. Ten of us out of twenty-five." He replied grimly. Diana's frown remained in place. If she had only teleported here instead of walking she might have been in time to rescue some of them from the bandits. Diana could kick herself later. Right now she needed to know if the survivors had enough food and water to sustain them during the trip back to Capital Crocus.

"Do you have enough supplies for the trip to Capital Crocus?" Diana asked him. He nodded weakly.

"We have enough. The only problem is transport. Our horses were still hitched to the wagon when the bandits attacked and we don't know if the bandits took them or if they ran off when the shooting started." He informed her. Diana took a deep breath.

"What are we going to do about those who died in the attack?" Diana asked him. The dark-haired youth looked at the floor.

"We can't carry them with us because we don't have transport for them. There's not much we can do except bury them and come back for the bodies later. We just have to hope that they won't be dug up and eaten by wild animals." He replied grimly. Diana remained silent for several moments while she wrapped her mind around that. The team was going to have to bury the bodies of the fallen and hope that they would still be there when a recovery team came for them. People who were her age or a couple of years younger were being buried far before their time.

"Have you already begun work on burying the bodies?" Diana asked him. He nodded.

"You do that. In the meantime I will resume the search for Professor Fauntleroy." Diana told him. He nodded and stepped out of the way to let her pass. Diana left the tent and stepped back into the sandy expanse to try and find the professor.

-Mysterious Canyon-

Diana stepped outside the tent and surveyed the area in front of her. She then looked down at her feet and noticed partially destroyed footprints leading out into the sandy expanse. They left a trail that led deeper into the canyon, a trail which Diana would follow, but not before informing Ami what she was about to do.

"Ami, I have found a trail of footprints leading deeper into Mysterious Canyon. I believe that the professor left them, so I am going to follow it and see if I can find him." Diana informed Ami.

"Understood. I'm flying above the camp and everyone's OK so far. Everyone still alive, anyway. They're burying the dead." Ami noted somberly. Diana was somewhat surprised that Ami was able to understand the gravity of the situation without being told, but Ami was smarter than Diana had anticipated. The winged android was exhibiting behavior that made her more than an advanced model of android servant... she was almost as human as Diana.

"Keep me informed of what is going on." Diana requested.

"Will do." Ami replied without any of her usual exuberance. With that Diana began to follow the trail of footprints deeper into Mysterious Canyon. She was not exactly sure how long it had been since the bandit attack... Professor Fauntleroy could have fled pretty far in the time gap between the attack and her arrival. She hoped that Professor Fauntleroy was still alive and not a casualty of heatstroke, wild animal attack, bandit attack, or any other number of ways one could die out here.

[Post Word Count: 834]
[Total Word Count: 2,609/7,000]

-Deeper in Mysterious Canyon, one hour later-

Diana had followed the tracks left outside Professor Fauntleroy's tent for an hour and was still unable to find him. She stopped in place and looked all around her, hoping that the Smart Glasses would pick up the professor somewhere in the distance. So far she was not picking up anything with them, not even local wildlife. Since she had not heard anything from Ami yet, Diana took a deep breath of hot air and called Ami.

"Ami, how are things back at the camp?" Diana asked her android companion.

"They're still working on burying the dead. I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary here. Have you found the professor yet?" Ami reported before asking Diana a question of her own.

"I have not found the professor yet, Ami. I am still searching for him, but if I do not find him in a few more hours I will call off the search and return to camp. I am not sure if the bandits are coming back and I want to be ready for them in case they return." Diana said to Ami. There was still some sunlight left, but she did not want to push her luck out here. When nightfall came the cold was every bit as punishing as the daytime heat and she did not bring a tent or anything she could use to throw together a crude shelter. There was not even a rock pile or sand dune to use as the start of a crude shelter. Aside from issues of shelter, she was also concerned that the Marauders would come back to the camp and discover the survivors of the first attack, so she wanted to be back at the camp to defend it in case trouble came calling.

"OK. Let me know when you find him. Let me know when you start back to camp." Ami said before ending communication. Diana continued to follow the footprints in the sand to try and find Professor Fauntleroy before it was too late.

-Deeper in Mysterious Canyon, two hours later-

Diana paused in place, lowered her tan face wrap, and took a sip of lukewarm water from her hydration pack. She had been following the trail for two more hours and still had not found the professor. She was stating to wonder if he would ever be found alive.

While taking a sip of water she looked all around her to give her Smart Glasses a chance to pick up anything of interest in the area. So far there was nothing out here, nothing except her. Diana took the bite valve of the hydration pack and set it aside, then asked Ami for another update on the camp.

"Ami, how is the camp doing?" Diana asked Ami.

"The camp's fine, Diana. They've finished burying the dead and are now scavenging for any supplies the bandits didn't put to the torch. It seems that the bandits didn't get everything when they attacked." Ami reported. Diana was glad to hear that the Marauders had not torched all of the supplies. Maybe there was hope for the survivors yet, but before she could pat herself on the back she needed to find the professor and take him back to camp.

"I still have not found the professor yet, Ami. If I do not find him in the next few hours I will turn back and head for the camp." Diana reported. There was not much daylight left... Diana figured that she had three hours at most before she would need to return to the camp and watch over the survivors. She had better keep going while she still had time. Taking a breath of hot air and then slowly exhaling, Diana resumed the search for the missing professor.

-One hour later-

Pressing deeper into Mysterious Canyon, Diana followed the trail through the sandy expanse and was finding nothing. The huntress stopped and took a deep breath to fight the growing feelings of frustration and hopelessness. How deep into the canyon had the professor gone?

Diana took another deep breath and slowly exhaled, then looked all around her for any signs of life in this place. The huntress was not very optimistic about finding anything, but her pessimistic mood was sidelined when her Smart Glasses picked up something at last. The target marker flashed gray and the object was about 500 meters north of her current position. That what just what the huntress needed to feel hope again.

She began jogging towards the marker and hoped that her long search for Professor Fauntleroy was about to end. If she was really lucky it would be him and he would still be alive, if sunburned and dehydrated. While it was easy for her to say since she would not be the one suffering, finding the professor sunburned and dehydrated but alive would be a lot better than finding him dead.

[Post Word Count: 826]
[Total Word Count: 3,435/7,000]

-500 meters later-

Diana hurried up to the marker to find a khaki-clad man with graying hair lying on his left side on the ground. He was badly sunburned and his lips were badly chapped from lack of water. She took a closer look at his face and saw that she had found Professor Fauntleroy. Now she needed to get him back to camp and into shelter before it got too cold for him to survive.

The huntress flipped the safety of Saint Sinner Valentine on, set the weapon down beside her, and bent down to help the man up. He was unconscious and unable to move on his own. After struggling to help the professor up she decided to just pick him up and carry him. It was not the ideal situation, but she did not have time to call in Ami to help, so Diana would have to move him on her own.

Diana picked up Saint Sinner Valentine, slung it on her right shoulder, and and then picked up the professor with great effort. She then moved him around in her arms until she was carrying him bridal style. Professor Fauntleroy was a deceptively heavy man for someone his age and with his slender build. With the professor in her arms Diana turned around and began to head back in the direction of the camp.

"Ami, I have found the professor. He is alive but unconscious. I am heading back to the camp now." Diana informed Ami that she had found the professor and was heading for the camp.

"OK. Everything's still fine at the camp. The survivors have gathered up all the supplies they could find. I think they're- hold on, the dark-haired guy with the bandaged wound is signaling me. I'll get back to you as soon as I can!" Ami told her before ending communication for the time being. While she waited for Ami to call back Diana focused on the path ahead and began trudging towards the camp with the professor in her arms. She was several hours away from the camp and the sun was beginning to set. The huntress had a long road ahead of her, so she had better move as fast as she could.

-Two hours later-

Diana had carried the unconscious professor without pause for two hours until she could not keep going any longer and stopped for a brief break. She bent down and gently lowered him to the ground, then stretched her arms and her legs. Carrying Professor Fauntleroy was quite the workout for the arms: her arms were hurting from the strain of carrying him. She also took the opportunity to take a sip of water from her hydration pack. While sipping water she looked around her for any lifeforms like roaming bandits or desert wildlife but did not see anything. Mysterious Canyon seemed to be every bit as desolate as Desierto.

Earlier Diana had received a call back from Ami and had learned that the survivors were preparing to move out and head for Capital Crocus, but they would not be leaving until Diana returned with the professor. She was glad for that. However, she would need to hurry because the bandits might stumble upon the camp and finish wiping out the expedition team.

Once she had taken a ten-minute break Diana picked the professor back up, let the bite valve fall back to her side, took a deep breath of warm air, and began putting one foot in front of the other. A ten-minute break was not nearly long enough to truly rest, but there was no time to rest. She had to get back to the camp with the professor so that he might receive enough medical treatment to stabilize him until the expedition could get back to Capital Crocus.

-Two hours later, at the camp-

Night had fallen and just two hours after the moon came up Diana finally staggered into camp with Professor Fauntleroy in her arms. Not wanting to come under aerial attack by Ami, the huntress set the professor down, pulled out her Urban Nights Glowstick, and activated it so that it glowed purple. She held it aloft in her left hand and quickly made a call.

"Ami, I am back in the camp with the professor. I have activated my Glowstick and it is glowing purple. Please do not fire on me." Diana informed Ami over the headset while waving the glowstick. Diana heard a sigh of relief on Ami's end.

"I'm glad to hear that, Diana. I see the purple light and I'm about to land a short distance from you." Ami replied. Diana switched to her night vision mode and saw Ami banking overhead, then looping around and coming in for a landing. The android landed two meters to Diana's left, kicking up sand as she skidded to a halt. Diana lowered the glowstick so that she could illuminate the unconscious professor and prevent him from being stepped on by Ami.

"Hey Diana! I'm glad to see you!" Ami greeted the huntress. Diana waved her right hand in greeting and took a deep breath. While she had found the professor and had managed to carry him back to camp, her work was not finished. The group had to make their way back to Capital Crocus before they would be truly safe.

[Post Word Count: 896]
[Total Word Count: 4,331/7,000]

-In the camp, one hour later-

The survivors had buried their dead and had marked the site by stretching a couple of the few intact tents over it to try and provide the grave some protection from the weather and scavenging animals. They had distributed the supplies of food, water, and lanterns among themselves and packed all they could into their backpacks. Diana and Ami had even taken an additional backpack of supplies each so that the group could be assured of having enough food and water to go around. However, the rest of it would have to be left behind because the professor needed to be carried to safety and he was not fit enough to walk. There was not room for both the professor and the supplies, so after a lengthy discussion the survivors opted to leave the remainder of the supplies behind in favor of improvising a stretcher to carry Professor Fauntleroy on.

The students had also gathered as many books, notebooks, and other personal effects of the professor as they could scavenge and fit into a backpack. They had gotten all of his books, notes, and other sensitive materials, but they had been forced to leave behind his hotplate and his tea cups. However, Diana had salvaged his kettle by putting it in her own backpack.

"OK, we're ready to go." The dark-haired youth who had become the group leader in light of Professor Fauntleroy's incapacitation said to Diana. Diana had been placed in charge of the group's protection because she had both a weapon and the ability to send Ami after threats. Diana would do whatever it took to get the survivors to safety even if it meant going without food, water, or sleep. She had failed the group by not getting there in time to protect them from the bandit attack hours earlier, but she would not fail them again.

"We should leave now while the going is good. Just be careful while traveling in darkness and keep the group together. Bandits could be out and about." Diana informed the group leader, then took the lead. Ami followed close behind her owner and traveled on foot because she was carrying both a lantern and a backpack of supplies, neither of which were conducive for flying. With Diana and Ami out front the rest of the group followed behind them; Professor Fauntleroy was carried by two of the stronger graduate assistants in the middle of the group. They had a long way to go before they reached Capital Crocus, so they had better get moving while they had the cover of darkness to offer a measure of protection from daytime heat and bandits.

-Five hours later, on the border of Serene Cliff-

After four hours of travel with as few stops as they could manage the group had left Mysterious Canyon without incident. One hour later they came across the river that served as a border between Serene Cliff proper and Mysterious Canyon and stopped ten meters away from it. The professor had regained consciousness thanks to some basic medical care, but he was far too weak to walk on his own and still needed to be carried in the improvised stretcher.

"We crossed a bridge over the river south of Clover Town and walked through the woods to get here." The leader of the students informed Diana of how the expedition had gotten to Mysterious Canyon. Diana turned around and looked at him.

"When I was here over a week ago I got Ami to fly me and a companion across the river. Would you like to do the same or would you prefer to retrace your steps to the bridge?" Diana offered the youth a choice of how to cross the river. If he wanted to safely cross the river he could choose to retrace their steps to the bridge south of Clover Town. If he wanted to save time he could choose to let Ami ferry him and the others across. The black-haired young man gave the proposal some serious thought before making his reply.

"I appreciate the offer, but we're carrying too much weight to safely go across the river. And we've got the professor to worry about. He's too weak to swim and if he gets dropped in the river during the crossing he might drown before we can pull him out of the water." The youth politely refused Diana's offer to have Ami ferry them across. Diana nodded out of respect for the decision.

"Very well then. Ami and I will take the lead in the forest." Diana told him. She and Ami took the lead and turned right, going into the forest ahead of the group. The huntress used both her Smart Glasses and her night vision ability to look for threats while Ami awaited her owner's orders to spring into action. This would be no leisurely walk through the woods... they would have to pay attention to their surroundings the entire time in case bandits were hiding behind the trees waiting for easy prey to pass by.

[Post Word Count: 850]
[Total Word Count: 5,181/7,000]

-At the bridge, one hour later-

It had been a tense walk through the forest in the Serene Cliff area. Everyone was on edge because they were walking into possible bandit territory carrying lanterns that advertised their presence and were also carrying an elderly man who was too weak to walk on his own. Logic held that a group could only move as fast as its slowest member, but the two graduate assistants carrying Professor Fauntleroy did an admirable job of keeping up with the group. They were likely fueled by adrenaline and the fear of what would happen to them if they lagged behind the others. There had been a couple of times when there was noise in the forest and everyone paused, but Diana investigated and learned that each time it was just local wildlife like rabbits or deer.

Now the group was at the wooden bridge south of Clover Town taking a brief break and making sure that everyone was accounted for before crossing over to the area near Oshibana. The bridge was a sturdy and well-maintained wooden structure that was wide enough to allow three people to walk side-by-side. Crossing it would get them a lot closer to safety and to civilization.

Diana and Ami waited until everyone had taken a break and the leader had accounted for everyone, then watched as the leader approached them.

"We've still got awhile before we get to Capital Crocus. But we've made it this far and I can't thank you two enough for helping us." The leader thanked Diana and Ami for their help up to this point. Diana did not feel particularly proud of herself. She had arrived at the camp too late to rescue most of the graduate assistants but was just in time to sweep for survivors and have Ami watch over them while the huntress searched for Professor Fauntleroy. Diana had to travel deep into Mysterious Canyon, but she had managed to find the professor lying unconscious and save him from death from heatstroke and dehydration. Considering how the day started out the huntress was thankful that she had gotten the group this far without anything bad happening to them other than a couple of scares in the woods.

"It is no problem. We will lead the way across the bridge." Diana informed him. He nodded and turned back to the group, then rallied them to travel across the bridge. The professor was sitting up on his makeshift stretcher and was communicating with some of the students, but Diana was not sure whether the man was over the worst of his condition or if it was a temporary rally before his health took a turn for the worse. When Diana found him he had been traveling in the merciless daytime sun for several hours and had been lying in it for an unknown length of time. It was possible that his condition was worse than she knew.

Diana and Ami were the first to go across the bridge. They walked onto the sturdy wooden bridge and their feet thumped on it as they crossed over the river with ease. Three minutes later and they were safely across. They watched the front and rear of the group as the students and the professor crossed the bridge at a slow and steady pace to allow the two carrying Professor Fauntleroy time to cross without fear of being left behind. After approximately six minutes the group had safely crossed the bridge and were on the way to Oshibana to buy train tickets to Capital Crocus.

If everything went well it would be just a few hours longer before everyone was safely in Capital Crocus.

-On the train, two hours later-

By extraordinary luck the group had arrived at the Oshibana train station just in time to catch the night train to Capital Crocus. Diana paid for everyone's tickets at the booth and they boarded the train to take a safe and leisurely trip back to Capital Crocus. When she got onto the train she flipped Saint Sinner Valentine's safety on and switched the magazine to less-than-lethal rounds, then carefully slung it onto her right shoulder with the barrel pointing towards the floor. Ami followed behind Diana and the pair entered the room of their higher-class tickets, then gently shut the door.

Diana was not being elitist when she did that. She paid for a higher-class ticket so that she both could minimize the risk of her weapon being stolen and avoid alarming her fellow passengers. Diana sat in the left seat and lay Saint Sinner Valentine on the floor beneath her feet and Ami sat on the seat in front of Diana. As far as they knew the toughest part of the trip was over. Now all they had to do was ride the train to their destination.

"We're almost there, Diana!" Ami said with the most enthusiasm she had mustered in hours. Now that they were out of the presence of the dead and had rescued the survivors the android was returning to her usual cheerful self.

"Yes, Ami. Soon we will have completed another job." Diana replied. She could not wait for this job to be over so that she could take another job that was less stressful than this one had been. She would see if any upper-class youths in Capital Crocus needed someone to accompany them to the mall.

[Post Word Count: 905]
[Total Word Count: 6,086/7,000]

-Outside Capital Crocus Train Station, two hours later-

Two hours after boarding the train in Oshibana the group had arrived in Capital Crocus. They had all disembarked from the train and had met back up outside the train station. All of them were in better spirits now that they had finally reached safety in Capital Crocus. Even the professor was in better spirits and was asking for a cup of tea. It was a couple of hours before sunrise and the sky starting to brighten seemed to be an indication that everything was going to be OK.

Diana and Ami were watching the group form up for the walk to Crocus Magicka University when the dark-haired leader approached them with a smile of relief on his face.

"We finally made it. Thanks to you guys we made it back safely. I can't thank you two enough!" The leader thanked them with genuine gratitude. Every member of the group was tired and could not wait to sit down for awhile, but they were all alive. Diana had managed to keep the survivors of the expedition alive and had gotten them to safety just as she had vowed to herself that she would.

"It is no problem. It is the least I can do." Diana replied. She could not look into his eyes without feeling guilt for what had happened to the rest of Professor Fauntleroy's graduate assistants, the ones that the Marauders had gunned down in the camp. If she had teleported straight to the camp she might have arrived in time to rescue some of them from the ruthless bandits. As it stood Diana felt guilt, but she was also glad that she had saved the survivors and Professor Fauntleroy from death at the hands of the Marauders or any other number of bandit gangs that prowled the area between Mysterious Canyon and Capital Crocus.

"Now we've got to get the professor some medical attention. We don't know how long he was out in the sun before you found him. Some of us also need treatment for gunshot wounds and other problems." The leader said. Diana nodded.

"Do Ami and I need to go with you?" Diana asked him. He nodded.

"Please. I don't know if any of the local hoodlums are out and about and I don't want to travel the streets this late without protection." He replied in the affirmative. The huntress gave a small smile.

"We will follow you there to make sure that you get there safely." Diana replied. With that the leader rallied the expedition for one last trek, this time to the hospital. Diana and Ami followed close behind the group as the khaki-clad youths made their way towards the hospital with the huntress and the winged android as their escorts.

-Outside the hospital, twenty minutes later-

After a walk through the streets of Capital Crocus where Diana had scared off a pair of thugs in dark clothing by looking in their direction and letting them see Saint Sinner Valentine on her right shoulder, the group had finally arrived in front of the hospital. They split up into two groups, those who were healthy enough to make the trip back to Crocus Magicka University and those who needed to be checked out at the hospital. Once they had done that the dark-haired youth approached Diana one last time.

"You've already done so much for us, but I'd like to ask you to escort the rest of the group back to campus while we take the professor to the hospital and get treatment." He made one last request of the huntress. Diana nodded.

"I will do that for you." Diana replied. Ami flashed a thumbs-up in agreement.

"Thanks! Now we'd better get the professor inside. Thanks again for helping us today!" He said before leading the group who needed medical attention into the hospital. The healthy students began to walk towards Crocus Magicka University and Diana and Ami followed them to make sure that they got back to the university safely. It would be a little bit longer before the job was complete, but Diana was a patient person and would see the job through to completion.

[Post Word Count: 702]
[Total Word Count: 6,788/7,000]

-Two hours later, outside Capital Coffee-

Diana and Ami had escorted the graduate assistants to Crocus Magicka University without incident and had handed off their backpacks of supplies. Once that was done the duo started on their way home. Once they reached home Diana left Saint Sinner Valentine, all of her gear, and Ami in her room and got a leisurely shower, then changed into her casual outfit. She was going back out to get a cup of coffee because she was too wired from the day's events to sleep right now.

Diana walked to the coffee shop and found that it had been open for thirty minutes before she had even gotten there. She opened the glass door and walked inside.

-Inside Capital Coffee-

Diana walked inside the coffee shop and noticed that it was bustling even at this early hour. The blonde got into line behind a quintet of older students wearing Crocus Magicka University sweatshirts and dress pants with dress shoes and talking about some equations they were studying in physics class. Diana was not educated in proper academic physics, but she knew quite a bit about ballistics like how to account for bullet drop and how to hit moving targets at a distance. Diana remained quiet and waited in line until it was her turn to order her double espresso.

Once she got the drink after a twenty-minute wait she walked over to her favorite pod chair and sat in it to watch the crowds mill by the window. Diana took a sip from her coffee and watched the world go by as a soft piano piece played over the overhead speakers. Maybe the coffee shops played softer music in the morning hours when older people liked to visit and switched to upbeat pop music when the younger university crowd came in after classes. At any rate Diana appreciated the soft piano music because it helped calm her down after the long and grueling job she had completed only hours before.

Diana listened to the music and was reminded of Lucia and how she played the piano for hours each day. She quickly shoved that thought out of her mind because she was trying to wind down after a tough job, not work herself up. She already had enough emotional baggage to sort through as it was without being reminded of her older sister.

Diana could not help but to feel guilty about Professor Fauntleroy's graduate assistants who were killed by the bandits in Mysterious Canyon. If she had only teleported instead of walking to the camp she might have arrived in time to save some of them. But she did not teleport and as a result fifteen out of twenty-five of them had died at the hands of the bandits by the time she could get there.

At least she had saved the others and Professor Fauntleroy.

Diana could take solace in that and she did. It would take her awhile to move on from the guilt, but she had had plenty of practice in dealing with guilt. All Diana could do now was keep moving forward and try not to make the same mistakes that had led to feelings of guilt.

That was easier said than done, though.

Diana sat in her pod chair and listened to the piano play overhead as she quietly celebrated a small victory and planned for her next job. After the emotional roller coaster she had been on the huntress was looking for something less exciting to do. Maybe she should look up Angela Helton or Angela's pal Amber.

[Post Word Count: 600]
[Total Word Count: 7,388/7,000]