The Stone In The Sand Pt. 2

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 8, Post Number 181

-The western edge of the Forgotten Deserts, Day 1, 11:25 A.M.-

Wearing her green tank top and khaki cargo pants with tan boots, Leona sat in the cockpit as Coleridge landed the Albatross after the flight from Silver Wolf Guild Hall to the western edge of The Forgotten Deserts. When the landing was complete Leona turned off the power to the engines and left the cockpit to go to her room and finish gathering her gear and supplies. Speaking of supplies, for her first extended expedition Leona had left nothing to chance.

Leona had spent the past two days shopping for anything she might need for her expedition. The day before yesterday she had bought two pairs of gloves to use while maintaining the Albatross' engines and had stashed one pair in the top drawer of the wardrobe. She had also bought plenty of florescent yellow tape and plenty of wooden stakes to use to mark off areas she wanted to dig in so that she did not have to rely on her memory if she got distracted by something like a thought or an encounter with a random traveler. She had also bought an extra shovel in case something happened to the one she had bought a few days ago.

Yesterday Leona had bought other essentials such as coffee mugs for the Galley, four more pairs of khaki cargo pants exactly like the pair she was wearing now, four pairs of khaki cargo shorts, and two each of green, blue, black, and white tank tops. Since she was not having to dress to impress anyone she could afford to dress a little more casually than she would otherwise. Her Desert Survival Armor would cover the shirt, so no one would know that she was wearing a tank top under the armor unless she told them.

To protect her arms and face from the sun Leona had brought plenty of sunscreen. While she had the Albatross to take shelter in if the heat got too much to bear, she was still going to protect herself from the scorching sun as much as she could. She had a dozen bottles of sunscreen stashed in the Pilot's Quarters bathroom so that she could use it as needed without having to worry too much about running out.

Finally she had brought almost three dozen bathcloths and towels so that she could take a shower at the end of each day and still have clean ones in reserve. That quantity might have been overkill, but the Wizard Saint wanted to be prepared for an extended stay in The Forgotten Deserts. She highly doubted that she was going to find the elemental stone in a day or two, so having enough supplies for at least a week was not a bad idea. She was hoping that it would not take that long, but she never knew what would happen.

As far as personal gear went Leona had her Desert Survival Armor, Silver Longsword, Scout Laser Pistol, and Ses Revanche in her right boot. She doubted that there would be any combat, but she was going to carry the Scout Laser Pistol and Ses Revanche with her in case she had to fight. Leona put on the armor and buckled the pistol belt around her waist before leaving her room to go to the cargo bay and pick up her shovel, roll of florescent tape, and tent stakes.

The final inclusion was Mortemer, her longtime mummy companion she had not interacted with for at least two years, if not longer. He was the perfect choice of companion for taking on this job since he was a mummy and the heat and sand could not hurt him... as far as Leona knew, anyway. PG-13 was sensitive to sand getting in its joints and Ancient Knight always wore a full suit of metal armor, so taking him into the blistering sun would just be cruel.

-Inside the cargo bay-

Leona walked over to the top right corner of the cargo bay where her shovel was and bent down to pick up the roll of florescent tape. She put that in her right pocket and bent down again to pick up a bundle of stakes, which she placed in her right side cargo pocket. She was about to head for the ramp when she heard a voice.

"Hey Leona!" Mortemer greeted Leona. Leona turned to face her old companion and soon spotted him. He was standing near the center of the cargo bay where Leona had stacked eight cases of bottled water. She thought he was in one of the Passenger's Quarters, but apparently he had spent the entire trip in the cargo bay.

"Hey Mortemer. It's been awhile." Leona said to the mummy. She did not know what else to say to him since it had been a long time since they had last traveled together. Leona felt a little guilty about that, but most of the time she preferred to work alone so that no one could rightfully say that she only succeeded because she had powerful companions.

"Are you ready to start your expedition?" Mortemer asked Leona.

"Yeah, let's get going." Leona said to him. She put the shovel on her armored shoulder and walked towards the cargo bay ramp. It automatically lowered and Mortemer followed closely behind her. The ramp closed behind them and with that the expedition had officially started.

-Outside the Albatross, twelve meters away-

The weather outside was more than a little hot, which made Leona glad she had brought the Desert Survival Armor and worn a tank top under it. As a result she was doing just fine. She marked out a large square area with the tent stakes, wrapped florescent tape around the stakes to form a square, and then began digging in the bottom left corner while Mortemer watched the area around them for trouble.

[Post Word Count: 986]
[Total Word Count: 986/11,000]

-Forty meters from the Albatross, eight hours later-

Leona had dug two holes ten meters away from the Albatross and had found nothing to show for it. No pottery shards, no old swords, nothing. She filled the holes in and then walked forty meters away from the Albatross and to the east before stopping and marking out a square. Mortemer had been with her every step of the way and had not uttered a single complaint about the distance they had walked, the scorching temperature, or anything.

"The last two holes were a bust. Hopefully we'll find something this time. I think we will because the third time's the charm!" Mortemer expressed the hope that this square would turn up something of interest. Leona found his good cheer to be energizing and his presence to be a welcome one.

"Maybe we will." Leona said with a bit of optimism. She then began to dig in the bottom left corner while Mortemer held onto the roll of tape for her. He watched patiently as the Wizard Saint went about her work with the shovel.

-Three hours later, 9:25 P.M.-

Despite the optimism of mummy and mage the third hole had been a bust too. She had not found anything in it, so she filled it back in and pulled up the stakes, dusting off the ends before putting them in her right side cargo pocket. She looked at Mortemer, who was still holding the tape and still standing in place like a statue wrapped in gauze.

"There's nothing here, Mortemer. I'm thinking we should relocate to somewhere closer to the center of The Forgotten Deserts." Leona said to her mummy companion. Nightfall was upon them and the moonlight was barely bright enough to see by. While Leona had natural night vision and could keep digging if she wanted she was not going to bother because she doubted that the stone would be found where she and Eleanor Crouch had worked a short time ago. She would relocate closer to the center of the Forgotten Deserts and then start digging there.

"Good idea, Leona! Are we going to walk there?" Mortemer asked her. Leona laughed a little.

"No, Mortemer. We don't have to walk there. All I have to do is fly us to where we're going." Leona informed him.

"That's pretty handy!" Mortemer exclaimed. Leona silently agreed with him. The Albatross was a gift from above in more ways than one. It was a cargo carrier, a method of transportation, and a home away from home all in one convenient package.

"Now let's get back to the Alba-thing for the night, Leona. I'm sure that moving to a new area will be a good move for us!" Mortemer suggested to Leona. The blonde hefted the shovel onto her right shoulder.

"Good idea, Mortemer. Follow me." Leona said to Mortemer. With her natural night vision the lack of light was no obstacle to her, so she took the lead and Mortemer followed at her right side with the roll of florescent tape clutched in both hands. Maybe they would have better luck at the new site.

-On board the Albatross, thirty-three minutes later, 9:58 P.M.-

The cargo ramp closed behind Leona and Mortemer shortly after the latter boarded the aircraft. Now that they were safely inside the cargo bay they could set down their tools for the day. Mortemer took the lead and walked over to the top right corner of the cargo bay to set the tape down and Leona followed him. When she got to the corner she set the bundle of stakes down and propped the shovel in the corner.

"Don't worry about not finding anything today, Leona. Tomorrow's a new day!" Mortemer offered her reassurance that her luck might change tomorrow. Leona was not particularly upset by today's results because she had anticipated a long search, but having her mummy companion for moral support was a pleasant change from her always working alone. Maybe she should bring companions with her more often.

"I anticipated a long search for what I'm after, but thanks." Leona thanked the mummy for his efforts to cheer her up. She then walked towards the door that led deeper into the Albatross to go to her quarters, get a shower, and change her clothes. Unlike the last time she was out here with Eleanor Crouch the Wizard Saint had a small bathroom with a shower, so she could get a shower at the end of each day if she wanted to. After being out in the sun for most of the day and sweating quite a bit Leona definitely wanted to bathe.

"I'm going to go get a shower, Mortemer. I'll be out in a few minutes." Leona told him.

"I'll be right here when you get out, Leona." Mortemer assured her that he would stay in the cargo bay. With that Leona walked towards the hallway door to go to her quarters. She was certain that she would find Mortemer exactly where she had left him once she had gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed.

[Post Word Count: 854]
[Total Word Count: 1,840/11,000]

-Day 2, near the center of The Forgotten Deserts, 9:18 A.M.-

About forty minutes ago Leona had taken off in the hopes that exploring new ground would give her a better chance of finding what she was after. Now Leona had just landed the Albatross in the approximate center of The Forgotten Deserts. Recalling the lessons learned from the turbulent first flight a little over three days ago, she took a chance and used a slow manual flight at low throttle and gentle adjustments in course to get there and when she felt that she was in the right place tapped the autopilot button to begin the landing sequence. Moments after that the Albatross had landed with a soft THUMP... once the landing was complete Leona powered off the engines and unbuckled herself. it was time for Leona to gear up for another day of digging squares in the sand.

-Inside the Pilot's Quarters, 9:19 A.M.-

Leona walked into the Pilot's Quarters and shut the door behind her, then made a beeline for her bed, where the second pair of khaki cargo pants she had brought with her waited to be put on. Leona took off the blue, white, and gold skirt she had slept in and put on the pants, then walked over to the top drawer of the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of clean socks. She walked over to her bed, sat on the edge, and put them on before putting on the tan boots positioned close by.

Leona kept on her blue tank top and slipped the Desert Survival Armor on over it, then buckled the pistol belt around her waist. Once she was ready she exited the Pilot's Quarters and went to pick up her tape, shovel, stakes, and Mortemer.

-Inside the cargo bay, 9:23 A.M.-

Leona walked over to the right corner of the cargo bay and picked up her stakes, which she put into the right side cargo pocket just like she had done yesterday. Leona grabbed her shovel and began to look for the florescent tape when she heard soft footsteps on the floor and turned around to find Mortemer.

"Hey Leona, are you looking for this?" Mortemer asked, then held up his right hand. In his hand was the roll of tape.

"Yeah, I was looking for it." Leona replied.

"I'll carry it for you if you want." Mortemer offered. Leona looked at him for a moment, then decided to roll with it... pun not intended. She figured that she owed him something for not traveling with him in a couple of years, so she would let him "help" her even though she did not really need it.

"Sure. You can carry the tape." Leona said in a nonchalant manner. She then pointed towards the cargo bay ramp with her left index finger.

"Ready to get going?" Leona asked him.

"I'm ready when you are, Leona!" Mortemer answered cheerfully.

"All right then. Let's see what we can find today." Leona said before walking towards the ramp. The mummy followed right behind her and soon the pair were outside the Albatross and heading east of it.

-Outside the Albatross, twenty meters away, 9:55 A.M.-

Leona and her mummy companion had walked roughly twenty meters away from the Albatross and stopped. The Wizard Saint was not sure where to start digging, so she decided to jam the shovel blade into the sand just beneath her feet. Using the shovel as a marker for the center of the square, Leona marked out its corners with stakes before approaching Mortemer to get the florescent tape needed to mark the square's boundaries.

Leona received the tape from him and marked out the boundaries, then walked to the top left corner to start somewhere else for a change. She started digging there and her mummy companion watched her from close by. The wind began to pick up a bit and blow sand on Leona, who now realized that she had left her sand goggles back at Silver Wolf Guild Hall. It was too late to do anything about it now, so she would just have to do without them if the wind kicked up a lot of sand.

-Four hours later-

Leona had dug out the square and found nothing to make it worth her time, so she filled it back in and was now standing in place taking a break from her work. Mortemer stood nearby as the Wizard Saint plotted where to dig next.

"Don't give up yet, Leona! We've still got plenty of daylight!" Mortemer offered some well-meaning but unnecessary encouragement to the blonde. Leona was not going to give up on this venture just because she had not found anything yet. She had invested too much money and too much of herself into the search for the elemental stone. She was going to see this personal project through instead of giving up on it like she had so many other projects in the past.

[Post Word Count: 832]
[Total Word Count: 2,672/11,000]

-On board the Albatross, in the Galley, 10:40 P.M.-

Leona had spent another fruitless day digging holes in the sand and had nothing to show for it other than sunburn. She had forgotten to apply sunscreen before venturing out into the desert and was paying for it with sunburn that was not too bad but was still hot enough to make its presence known. She had taken a shower and was dressed in a black tank top and wearing the green, white, and gold skirt from last night and was barefoot. She knew that the colors did not match, but right now color coordination was the last thing on her mind.

Leona was in the Galley preparing a can of microwaveable soup to eat. She had not eaten all day and was now wanting something to eat before she went to sleep. As the microwave hummed she sat at the second of the two tables and faced the door. While waiting for her soup Leona began to think about her search for the elemental stone and was wondering if she was in the right place. She had read the riddle over and over to make sure she was not missing anything and every time she had reviewed it it had read the same way.

Beneath the shifting sands next to the city where magic has no hold one will find a key to the vault.

The blonde was certain that the city in question was The Neutral Grounds. She was also certain that "the shifting sands" were The Forgotten Deserts. If she was not misinterpreting the riddle she had to find the stone out here somewhere... unless someone had already found it long before she had even begun looking for the elemental stones. Morgana Ravenholm had warned her of that possibility and there was a chance Leona was just wasting her time out here.

The microwave gave a loud DING and Leona walked over to it and opened the door, then waited a couple of minutes for the soup can to cool down while she went to get a hand towel to cover her hands so that she did not burn them fishing out her meal. She opened the drawer and grabbed a white hand towel and walked over to the microwave with it, then put the towel over her palms and grabbed the can.

She hurried over to the table with it and set it down in front of her chair moments before the heat would have forced her to drop it. Now that the can was in place she took the hand towel and put it on the right side of the sink, then walked over to another drawer and pulled out a spoon. With utensil in hand she walked back to the table and was about to eat when she realized she had forgotten to get a drink.

She had also forgotten to get soup bowls, which was why she was having to eat the soup out of the can, but there was nothing she could do about it until her next shopping trip.

Leona walked over to the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a drinking glass, then turned on the sink and put some tap water in it. She then carefully walked back over to her seat and sat down in front of the waiting soup can. It was a flavor called "chicken noodle" and she had never had it before today. Leona hoped that it was good because she had bought quite a few cans of it and did not want to waste the money.

She lifted the spoon to her mouth and tasted the soup within. It had a somewhat strong chicken flavor and the noodles were fairly good, if a bit too stringy for her liking. Leona ate it in silence and wondered if she was in the right location to find the stone. She had no way of knowing, but that was not going to deter her. Leona was going to keep searching for a few days longer before either returning to Silver Wolf Guild Hall and resupplying for a third attempt at a later date or giving up on the venture.

-Day 3, 6:00 A.M., 100 meters to the west of the Albatross-

Dressed in the third pair of khaki cargo pants and wearing her black tank top under the Desert Survival Armor, Leona had made sure to apply sunscreen today so that she did not burn as badly as she had yesterday. Leona had all of her usual gear and had Mortemer with her to provide moral support. He also provided more tangible support by carrying Leona's shovel for her... not that she needed him to do that, but it made him happy, so she allowed it.

Once she reached a spot that was as good as any other random patch of sand Leona looked at Mortemer. He understood her meaning and walked over to her, handing the shovel to her. Leona took it in both hands and jammed it into the sand in front of her, then pulled four stakes out and began marking the corners of the square with them. After that task was completed she pulled the tape out of her pocket and wrapped it around the stakes to form a visible square. After that the tedious work of digging was the next step.

Leona grabbed the shovel by the wooden handle, pulled it out of the sand, and began digging in the center to change things up a bit. Maybe she would find something interesting here.

[Post Word Count: 932]
[Total Word Count: 3,604/11,000]

-Day 3, 100 meters away from the Albatross, 2:00 P.M.-

Leona had been at work since early in the morning and had dug three holes in addition to the one she had started the day with. All of that work had turned up nothing and Leona was starting to get more than a little frustrated with her lack of results. Leona finished filling in her latest hole, then jammed the shovel into the dirt and put her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry that this trip isn't turning out like you hoped it would." Mortemer tried to console Leona. The blonde closed her eyes and took a quiet breath before opening her eyes again and talking to him.

"It's all right, Mortemer." Leona started. The wind picked up a little and kicked a little bit of sand onto her boots. She ignored it in favor of continuing to talk to Mortemer, who was looking right at her.

"I'm going to keep searching in this area for today and tomorrow, but if nothing turns up I'm going a little further to the east." Leona told him her plan for the time being. It was not a perfect plan, but right now it was all she could come up with off the top of her head. She was seriously considering moving a bit further east, but before she did she would keep searching in the center of The Forgotten Deserts a bit longer.

After explaining her plan Leona picked up her shovel again and moved about fifty meters further east, then stopped and repeated the process of marking out a square and taping it off. She then began to dig with Mortemer looking on silently and awaiting commands from her.

-Day 4, on board the Albatross, 1:25 A.M.-

Leona had worked well into the night trying to find something, anything to make the work she had done up to this point worth it. Instead she had come away empty-handed for the third day in a row. Leona was feeling more and more like she was wasting her time on a lost cause, but she was not going to quit, not when she had invested so much time and money into looking for the elemental stone.

Leona had taken a shower an hour ago and was now sitting at "her" table in the Galley while wearing her second green tank top and the green, white, and gold skirt she had worn last night. In front of her was a half-empty mug of coffee that she had been sipping on while trying to decide whether heading east to continue the search was a good idea or not. She wanted to at least make the effort to head east so that she did not feel like she was quitting because she was not finding anything.

Leona grabbed the handle of the mug with her right hand and took another sip of coffee before setting it down on the table.

She was going to stay where she was for the next two days and head a little further east on the third day. That was the plan she had come up with yesterday and that was the best plan she could come up with. Since she had no other ideas she would just stick with that one and see what happened.

Leona picked up her mug again and drained it, then set it down on the table and looked at it. She looked at the coffee pot and decided to drink some more coffee. It would be a shame to let perfectly good coffee go to waste, so she grabbed her mug, walked over to the coffee pot, and poured herself another cup of coffee. She took a swig and looked absentmindedly towards the door to the Galley.

Today was going to be another long day.

-Day 4, 8:30 A.M., 200 meters east of the Albatross-

Wearing her green tank top under the Desert Survival Armor and also wearing her last clean pair of khaki cargo pants, Leona did not even bother putting on the Scout Laser Pistol's belt today because she doubted that she would need it. If someone attacked her she had magic, Ses Revanche, and Mortemer to deal with them. She did not even need Ses Revanche and Mortemer, but it was still nice to have them available in case trouble came calling.

She had left the Albatross behind almost three hours ago and while she had left her laser pistol back in her quarters Leona had brought her usual gear of shovel, tent stakes, and yellow florescent tape. She had already marked out another square and was about to start digging in the top left corner like she tended to do, but before she started digging took a quiet breath and hoped that she would find either the elemental stone or find something else that would make this whole trip worthwhile.

[Post Word Count: 820]
[Total Word Count: 4,424/11,000]

-400 meters east of the Albatross, 1:40 P.M.-

After the last attempt to find something had turned out to be fruitless Leona decided to keep the Albatross where it was but move further east. Mortemer dutifully accompanied her and followed silently until they stopped on top of yet another random patch of sand. Leona stabbed the shovel blade into the ground, then pulled some stakes out of her right cargo pocket and went through the routine of marking out a square, then putting yellow florescent tape around the stakes to make a visible square. Once the process was finished Leona picked up her shovel again and started to dig in the center.

"Maybe our luck will turn around today!" Mortemer tried to cheer Leona up, but the Wizard Saint did not respond to his words. She was tired of not finding anything despite her best efforts. She was well past the point that positive words would lift her mood... only finding the elemental stone or another artifact would make her feel better. With that in mind Leona continued to dig, slowly and carefully moving to the right as she did. Leona was almost to the right side of the square when she heard a sharp metallic CLANK as the shovel blade met something beneath the sand.

"It sounds like you found something!" Mortemer exclaimed, walking towards the square and stopping at the yellow tape that marked the top of the square to take a look at whatever it was that Leona's shovel had struck. Leona held her breath as she started moving sand away from the top of the object until she got a glimpse of something gleaming in the sunlight. The Wizard Saint then set the shovel off to the right side and used her hands to dig out the object and when she was finished she got a good look at her discovery.

It was a sword!

Leona reached for the weapon's grip and lifted it out of the dirt to examine it. One glance told her it was an ordinary longsword with no elaborate craftsmanship or special decorations to set it apart from any other sword of its kind. However, its blade had quite a few chips in it, suggesting that it had seen a lot of use before ending up buried in the sand. This was something to take to Eleanor Crouch whenever Leona had some free time.

"I found a sword, Mortemer. I'm not sure if there's anything special about it or not, but at least it's something. I won't leave here empty-handed after all." Leona told her faithful mummy companion what she had found and showed the sword to him.

"Our luck really has turned around, Leona!" Mortemer exclaimed happily. Leona could not help but to feel a bit of happiness herself. Finding the longsword had been a much-needed shot in the arm for her after three days of hard work without finding anything. Now she had gotten the push she needed to stick to her plan and stop second-guessing herself.

"Maybe it has, Mortemer. Maybe it has." Leona said to him with a tone of cautious optimism. She was not going to let herself get carried away by her find, but now she was feeling like there was still hope of finding the elemental stone. Leona was going to stay where she was the rest of the day and move further east tomorrow morning.

Handing the longsword to Mortemer for safekeeping, Leona was going to finish digging the square and searching it before moving on to the next possible site. This day was still going to be a long one, but she was OK with that. If anything she was looking forward to anything else she might come across during her work.

-400 meters from the Albatross, 11:40 P.M.-

The sun had set long ago and now it was nightfall, which meant that Leona and Mortemer would have to return to the Albatross for the night. After finding the longsword Leona had dug three more squares in the immediate area; the first two turned out to be empty, but the third and final one contained a silver dagger with a crescent moon engraved on the blade. That was another item that was going to be taken to Eleanor when this trip was over.

Now that all the holes she had dug had been filled in, the stakes pulled up and back in her right cargo pocket, and the roll of tape put into her left pocket, it was time to start heading back to the Albatross. The temperature was starting to drop and Leona wanted to get out of the cold as quickly as possible. She also wanted to get a shower and get something to eat before she went to sleep.

"It's pretty late. Let's get back to the Albatross, Mortemer." Leona suggested to the mummy and turned in the direction of the aircraft. Thanks to her natural night vision Leona could see everything in front of her with perfect clarity.

"Sure thing, Leona!" Mortemer agreed to her suggestion. With shovel held in her right hand she began to lead the way towards the Albatross and Mortemer followed at her right side while still holding the longsword she had found hours ago. Leona held the silver dagger in her left hand with the blade pointed downward. It was going to be a fairly long walk back to the Albatross, but after finding two weapons buried in the sand today she was feeling so good that she did not care about the distance.

[Post Word Count: 930]
[Total Word Count: 5,354/11,000]

-On board the Albatross, the Pilot's Quarters, 2:37 A.M.-

Upon returning to the Albatross Leona had taken a shower and changed into a blue t-shirt and her blue, white, and gold skirt. Mortemer was standing in the cargo bay to act as an additional security measure in case someone tried to break into the Albatross. She was now sitting on the edge of her bed for a minute or two before trying to go to sleep. She was glad that she had persisted this long because yesterday she had found a couple of weapons that she could take to Eleanor Crouch. Even if Leona did not find the elemental stone this trip she had something to show for it, which was something that gave her the resolve needed to keep searching for a little while longer.

Leona was going to continue with her original plan and stay in the current area tomorrow, but if she did not find the stone tomorrow she was going to relocate further to the east and try her luck there. The only reason she did not relocate immediately after finding the sword and dagger was because she felt like the potential of this area had not yet been exhausted. However, that was just her instinct and her instinct was not the best way to do anything important.

The Wizard Saint was going to stick to her plan, though. She still had plenty of supplies on board the Albatross, so she was able to hang around for awhile. The only item she might experience a shortage of was clean clothes, but if push came to shove she could wear shirts and pants that she had already worn again. She had worn the same shirt and pants for almost five days in a row the last time she was here, so that was not new ground for Leona.

-Day 5, 600 meters east of the Albatross, 8:25 A.M.-

After a few hours of sleep that were all too brief Leona was back out in the desert again with stakes, tape, and shovel. Her armor was protecting her from the worst of the heat and sunscreen covered the rest of her exposed skin, of which there was not a whole lot because she had decided to wear one of her pairs of khaki cargo pants again. No one would know besides her... Mortemer had no clue and she was not about to enlighten him about that.

Leona started digging in a square she had marked out about ten minutes ago and was holding her breath the entire time. She hoped to find something else to take with her whether it was the elemental stone she was after or another weapon or shard of pottery for Eleanor Crouch to add to her collection. Leona did not know what waited for her in the sand and would have no way of knowing until all of the sand in the square had been moved, so she kept working.

-12:25 P.M.-

Nothing had been found in the square, so Leona did what she did so many times before and filled it back in. Once she was done Leona faced Mortemer, who was standing patiently nearby. For once he did not have anything to say and silently watched the blonde, who faced the east before looking at Mortemer.

"Hey Mortemer, ready to go a bit further in that direction?" Leona asked him, pointing towards the east with her left index finger.

"Certainly! I'm with you all the way, Leona!" Mortemer assured her. Leona smiled a little and began walking towards the east. Mortemer hurried to Leona's right side and did his best to keep pace with the Wizard Saint, who was striding in the direction she hoped her prize would be in.

-1:35 P.M., 900 meters east of the Albatross-

After going quite a bit further away from the Abatross Leona finally stopped. She paused and handed Mortemer her shovel, then fished out the stakes and tape from her pockets. With them she marked out yet another area to dig in and put the tape in her right pocket, then received the shovel from Mortemer. She immediately jammed the blade into the dirt and heard a CLANK.

"What? Already?" Leona asked in disbelief. She raised her shovel and noticed a tan object in the sand. It barely stood out from the sand, but she could see it.

"Way to go!" Mortemer cheered Leona on. Leona did not respond to it because she was too busy digging around the mystery object while trying not to bury it again. When she had dug enough sand away Leona dropped the shovel and dropped to her knees, using her hands to pull it from its sandy resting place.

When the object was finally out of the sand Leona saw a shiny tan stone with a thick zigzag line in the center of it. The line was one with several smooth waves that looked like a series of hills. When she saw that detail she knew she had found what she was looking for.

"What did you find, Leona?" Mortemer asked the Wizard Saint. Leona picked up the shiny stone with her left hand and looked at it with awe, accidentally ignoring Mortemer's question. A few seconds later Mortemer repeated his question and the second time Leona answered him.

"Something I think is very valuable, Mortemer." Leona answered with satisfaction. Now that she had found what she had come for she would head back to the Albatross immediately and go back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall for the day, then head to Dr. Ravenholm's mansion tomorrow to confirm whether the stone she had just found was really one of the elemental stones. Leona had a pretty good feeling that it was, but it never hurt to get a professional opinion.

[Post Word Count: 972]
[Total Word Count: 6,326/11,000]

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 11:48 P.M.-

Roughly six hours after returning from her trip to The Forgotten Deserts Leona was in her room again. She had handled all the paperwork that had been waiting on the desk in her office and now it was time for her to plan out tomorrow. Her major objective was to meet with Morgana Ravenholm in Capital Crocus and show her the shiny stone she had discovered yesterday to see if it was the real deal or a well-made fake. Leona suspected that she had found the real thing, but she was going to talk to Dr. Ravenholm about it to be absolutely sure before making plans to find the third elemental stone.

Leona looked at the pile of clothes lying on the floor in front of her wardrobe. She needed to wash all of them so that she would have clean clothes for both tomorrow and for the future. Speaking of clothing, she might need to pay another visit to Capital Crocus Mall so that she could try and find more khaki cargo pants and more tank tops. That could wait, though.

Leona looked down at herself and noticed that she was wearing the same blue t-shirt and khaki cargo pants she had worn hours ago. She needed to change clothes so that she could wash what she was wearing. The Wizard Saint walked over to her wardrobe and opened it, pulling out a green t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. She closed it and then swiftly changed into the new outfit, tossing the clothes she had been wearing onto the pile of dirty laundry. She then walked to the door to her room and opened it, then walked back to the pile and gathered it up in her arms to take them to be washed.

-The next day, Capital Crocus, Ravenholm Manor, 12:50 P.M.-

Wearing a blue t-shirt and khaki cargo pants with boots and a backpack, Leona now stood in the study of Ravenholm Manor, where Dr. Ravenholm was busy studying the stone Leona had found in The Forgotten Deserts. The doctor was seated at the table to the right and was intently examining the stone from every angle. Leona kept quiet as the examination proceeded and when it was finally over Morgana got up from her table, walked over to the blonde, and handed the stone back to her.

"You found the real thing, Leona." Morgana delivered her verdict on the authenticity of the stone. Leona began to smile when she heard that because that was exactly what she needed to hear. All of her hard work had not been in vain and now she held the second of seven elemental stones she needed to unlock the vault that housed a great treasure... or so she had been told.

"You found the Terra Stone. Now you only have five more to go before your collection's complete." Morgana told her the name of the stone she had found. While the name of the stone was nice to know, Leona had been much more interested in learning whether it was real or not. Now that it had been declared to be real Leona was going to take the Terra Stone back to her room in Silver Wolf Guild Hall and plot the search for the next elemental stone.

"All right. I've found two of the seven I need. This might be a dumb question, but is there anything special I need to know about the remaining five?" Leona asked the doctor. Morgana looked at the Wizard Saint for a moment with her usual expression before speaking.

"Yes, there is. My suggestion to you is to prepare for a long search for the remaining stones. They're hidden all across Fiore and you won't find them easily." Morgana gave Leona her advice. Leona had already prepared to some extent by stocking the Albatross with enough supplies to make it a viable home away from home, but the blonde thought a little harder and suspected that she would have to do more than just purchase enough supplies for a long trip. She suspected that the doctor had meant something else by her statement.

"Not only will you need supplies like food, water, and shelter, but you'll also need patience. The meaning of some of the riddles won't be apparent on the first reading. You might misread one of them and go to the wrong place only to find that out after spending a long time searching the area. When that happens you'll just have to re-read that particular riddle and think harder about its meaning. You'll have to be patient if you want to find all seven elemental stones." Morgana confirmed that there was another meaning to her words beyond the obvious one. Leona listened in silence as the older woman continued to speak.

"Even if you decipher a riddle and go to the right place you might be heading somewhere dangerous. Whether the danger comes from hazardous terrain, hostile wildlife, or something else, you should be ready for anything. You probably don't need me telling you this, but I suggest carrying at least one weapon with you, if not two. I also suggest that at least one of those weapons be able to harm supernatural entities." Morgana added another piece of advice. Leona tended to carry her Silver Longsword practically everywhere she went and it had the power to hurt ghosts, werewolves, and other supernatural entities, so she had already taken care of that need.

"Do you have any more advice for me, Morgana?" Leona asked the older woman. If Dr. Ravenholm did not have any more suggestions Leona was going to head to Capital Crocus Mall and see if she could not stock up on more khaki cargo pants, tank tops, and t-shirts before her search for the next elemental stone.

[Post Word Count: 978]
[Total Word Count: 7,304/11,000]

"There is another thing I'd like to suggest, Leona. If you get in over your head at any point don't hesitate to back away for awhile and return when you're better prepared. I know that time's of the essence, but the elemental stones aren't worth your life." Morgana gave another piece of advice to Leona. The doctor was right in more ways than one. Leona was keenly interested in finding the elemental stones as quickly as she could because she knew that she was not the most persistent mage alive. In the past she tended to quit whenever she ran into a difficulty in a personal project, so she knew that she had to move fast while her focus was still on this project.

"All right, Morgana. I'll keep that in mind." Leona calmly replied to the advice. Knowing what to do was one thing, but actually doing it was another thing entirely. Besides the motivation to not quit something whenever she ran into difficulty, Leona was also motivated to prove her worth as the Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf by seeing a project through to completion instead of putting it on the back burner and letting it languish in obscurity until it died.

"I know you're eager to get back out there and look for the third elemental stone, so I won't hold you up any longer. Keep in mind everything I've told you and you'll be fine." Morgana said to her. Leona waved goodbye with her right hand.

"I'll get going now. I'll show myself out. Thanks for your help, Morgana." Leona bade her contact farewell. Morgana waved goodbye with her left hand and Leona showed herself out of the study. She was going to take the Terra Stone back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall before going to Capital Crocus Mall because she did not want to lose her treasure right after finally finding it. She also did not want to carry a backpack in the mall because someone might think she was planning to shoplift.

-Capital Crocus, Capital Crocus Mall, 5:24 P.M.-

Leona had had Coleridge fly the Albatross back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall to drop off her backpack and get some money for the shopping spree she was about to undertake. Once she had dropped off her backpack and gotten some money she got back in the Albatross and had the autopilot fly her to the outskirts of Capital Crocus, where she landed in a large clearing a good distance away from the city. Now she was inside the mall and looking towards the food court, which was packed like it always was. Leona was not after food, though.

The Wizard Saint knew exactly where she was going. She would visit The Modern Woman on the second floor to get t-shirts, tank tops, and khaki cargo pants. She would go to Earthland Eagle for more casual clothing like crop tops and short shorts. Now that she knew where she was going Leona paused for a moment to think. She was already on the first floor, so the question she needed to answer was whether she went to Earthland Eagle while she was close by or go on to the second floor and visit The Modern Woman before returning to Earthland Eagle.

After a few moments she decided to go to the second floor and see what she could find before returning to the first floor and paying a visit to the other store. With that having been decided Leona walked to the left of the food court and began to climb the stairs to the second floor.

-The Modern Woman, 5:57 P.M.-

Just because there were a lot of people in the food court did not mean that the shops were empty. Leona was now standing inside the first shop on her list and it was fairly busy. There were thirteen other shoppers and all of them were young women who were busy walking around with clothing on hangers or about to grab hangers off of the racks dotting the store. Knowing exactly what she was after, Leona walked over to the t-shirt rack and began to browse it.

Almost instantly she found a navy blue t-shirt, so she carefully removed it from the rack and examined the tag inside the collar. It was exactly her size, which meant that she was buying it. Leona held onto it and grabbed another one in order to have a spare, then began scouring the rack for more t-shirts that were colors she already had or were new ones that caught her attention like the navy blue one had.

About six minutes later Leona had found two gray t-shirts her size plus another blue one like the one she was currently wearing, a green one, and a black one. Leona decided to focus her attention on finding some khaki cargo pants now, so she turned away from the t-shirt rack and walked over to the left side of the store to peruse the pants. She took ten steps towards her destination before seeing that five other shoppers had the same idea, so she was going to have to wait a bit. She might want to look at something else in the meantime.

[Post Word Count: 874]
[Total Word Count: 8,178/11,000]

-Inside Earthland Eagle, 6:37 P.M.-

After a lengthy wait Leona had finally gotten her chance to peruse the racks of pants in The Modern Woman, but to her chagrin they had all been picked over by the time she got her turn. The only khaki cargo pants available were a few pairs not in her size. She had managed to get two pairs of khaki cargo shorts as a consolation prize so that she did not walk out without pants of any sort. After buying the khaki cargo shorts and t-shirts Leona left The Modern Woman and made her way back to the first floor to visit Earthland Eagle to see if she could grab a few tank tops in either new colors or colors she already had.

Now she was standing inside the store, which was fairly busy considering the time of day. She counted fifteen other young women in here and they were all over the place. A good chunk of them were browsing the shirts, which meant that Leona might end up walking away without any tank tops by the time she got a chance to look at them. That was only a minor setback for her because she was not desperately needing them... she already had a decent collection and just wanted more so that she would have spares of her favorite colors, which were blue, green, and black.

Rather than wait for the supply to be depleted Leona made her way over to the rack of tank tops to try and get a glimpse of what was available. She had to crowd in with five other shoppers, but soon she got a look at what was available. She spotted a gray tank top and an olive drab one... quickly and carefully grabbing both by the hanger, Leona looked at the tags to determine their sizes.

As luck would have it they were both her size.

Leona kept them and looked for more, but a young woman stepped in front of her, blocking her view and keeping her from easily accessing the clothing rack. Whether that move was intentional or not was unknown, but it was not something worth complaining about. Instead the Wizard Saint walked away from there and looped around the store to another clothing rack that had shirts. Unlike the tank top rack this one had only one other shopper off to the far right side, so Leona did not have to worry too much about competition.

Leona took a closer look at them and noticed that she had found several crop tops, all of them the sleeveless variety. She spotted a black one, a navy blue one, and a gray one. Leona carefully took each hanger off of the rack and examined the size tag inside the collar of each garment. The black one was not an option because it was two sizes too small, but the navy blue and gray ones were exactly her size, so Leona was going to get them to add to her collection. She put the hangers in her left hand along with the tank tops and browsed a little more.

Lately Leona had taken to using crop tops as shirts to go under her Desert Survival Armor because she did not care too much if those got sweaty over the course of the day. She had also taken to using tank tops to sleep in and travel in when flying on board the Albatross because she would not lose any sleep over those getting wrinkled and sweaty. Both types of shirt allowed her to save her "good" t-shirts for going out in public and meeting with clients.

When she got a chance Leona looked at the rest of the crop tops for any new colors to add to her collection and found a promising royal blue one. She picked its hanger off of the rack and looked at the tag. It was her size and it was the only one on the rack, so Leona was buying it while she could. Once she had picked up everything she wanted Leona went to the checkout counter to purchase the garments.

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 10:17 P.M.-

After making all of the clothing purchases she was going to make for the time being Leona went back to the outskirts of Capital Crocus, boarded the Albatross, and set the autopilot to take her home. Once the Albatross had safely landed in its place outside Silver Wolf Guild Hall Leona was back in her room with quite a few shopping bags sitting on her bed. Having purchased some spare clothing for both her room's wardrobe and her wardrobe on board the Albatross, Leona's clothing needs were satisfied for the time being. Now she had to wash them so that they would be ready for the next search for an elemental stone.

That reminded her... she needed to re-read the riddles and find a new elemental stone to search for. She had five options to choose from but did not remember any of them, so she would need to consult the list to remind herself. She could do that tomorrow, though. Right now she needed to do some laundry and once that was finished try to sleep for awhile so that she could actually remember what she read when she reviewed the riddles pertaining to the elemental stones again.

[Post word Count: 900]
[Total Word Count: 9,078/11,000]

-The next day, Leona's Room, 9:40 P.M.-

Wearing her green tank top and green, white, and gold skirt with no socks or boots, Leona walked into her room and shut the door behind her. It had been a busy day at the office... literally. Leona had woke up at 11:30 A.M. and was in her office by 12:00 P.M. to do the paperwork that was waiting on her. She had anticipated doing a few stacks of it and calling it a day, but to her chagrin the paperwork just kept landing on her desk. It seemed like for every stack she completed two more popped up. At least it was all finished for the day and Leona had a little time for herself before she went to sleep and did it all again.

But before she went to sleep she was going to review the riddles and pick one of them to follow. Leona walked over to her desk and pulled out the chair, then sat down in it. She moved the chair close to her desk and began searching for the list, soon finding it in the top right drawer of the desk. She closed the drawer and then set the list down on her desk before beginning to read over them.

Leona tried for a few minutes to read the riddles and comprehend their meaning but was having a hard time focusing enough to really make sense of them. The long hours of paperwork she had done earlier had drained her focus to the point that trying to read anything would be a tedious chore. Deciding to postpone the attempt until later, she opened the top right drawer of her desk and put the list of riddles inside, then closed the drawer and got up from the desk.

Leona was going to go to sleep now and make another effort to read the list tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully she would not be in for another long day of fulfilling administrative responsibilities tomorrow, but she would do it if she had to. Life was not always about exciting adventures and constant travel.

-The next day, 1:58 P.M.-

Leona had woken up at 1:00 P.M. feeling more than a little sluggish... it took quite an effort for her to actually get out of bed at 1:42 P.M. She had put in a lot of time at the office yesterday and was currently feeling every minute of it. Hopefully today would involve less paperwork for her to do.

The blonde stood up, then smoothed out her wrinkled shirt and skirt before looking towards her room door. She was going to go to the guild cafe to get some coffee before she reread the list and picked one to decipher. With that in mind Leona left the room to get her beverage of choice before returning to the task she had attempted last night.

-Leona's Room, 2:20 P.M.-

After having a cup of coffee at the guild cafe Leona returned to her room, sat down at her desk, and pulled out the list of riddles from the desk drawer she had stashed it in. She set it on top of her desk and read the first one at the very top.

In the center of the land of enormous monsters lies the stone.

Leona was not sure what that meant and her attention was soon diverted by the sound of paper sliding on the floor. She looked towards her room door and spotted a plain white envelope sitting on the floor. Leona got up from her chair and walked over to the envelope, then picked it up and carried it back to her desk. She gently opened the flap and pulled it out to find a note within.

"Hey Leona!

This is Dr. Reid. I'd like you to come by my place today because we have something to talk about. I'll tell you more when you get here." Read the brief message. Leona decided to postpone figuring out the riddle to see what the good doctor wanted. She would need to dress a little better than she was dressed now, so she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a green t-shirt and khaki cargo pants.

-Motor City, outside Dr. Reid's home, 5:50 P.M.-

Leona had flown here in the Albatross... she had let Coleridge do the flying and the aircraft had landed safely in a large clearing on the outskirts of the city. She had left all of her weapons and her Argent Gloves at home because she was here on a social visit and did not anticipate any trouble. Now she was outside the front door after having pressed the intercom button and informed Dr. Reid of her presence.

Leona watched the front door open and saw the doctor herself standing in the doorway. She was more casually dressed than the Wizard Saint... the doctor was wearing a pink tank top and short black skirt with no shoes. She also had her cup of coffee clutched firmly by the handle.

"Hey Leona!" Dr. Reid cheerfully greeted the Wizard Saint.

"Hi there. I got your message a few hours ago." Leona replied to the doctor. The other blonde gave her a smile.

"Excellent. Follow me into the mini-kitchen and we'll talk." Dr. Reid bade Leona. Leona followed her hostess into the house and the door was shut behind her.

[Post Word Count: 898]
[Total Word Count: 9,976/11,000]

-In the mini-kitchen, 5:54 P.M.-

After being admitted into the doctor's house the pair were now standing in the mini-kitchen. Leona stood with her back to the door while Dr. Reid was seated at the small square table. Dr. Reid was busy drinking from her mug of coffee while the Wizard Saint stood and watched the doctor take sip after sip of coffee. Leona could really go for some right about now, but she would wait until her hostess either gave her some or gave permission to get some before grabbing a mug

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Leona asked the doctor, who was drinking from her mug. The other blonde lowered it and made eye contact.

"I've almost got the Atlas operational again." Dr. Reid said before smiling. Leona was pleased to hear that and gave a small smile of her own.

"It's taken a lot of long nights and even more coffee, but it's almost ready to go again. I've made some improvements to the power system and cooling systems so that it won't overheat as dramatically as it has in the past. It'll take a bit longer for me to make sure that everything's just right." She explained what she had done to make sure that the Atlas did not experience the same problem that threatened to put an end to the project last time. Leona was glad to hear that the project Dr. Reid had worked so hard on was almost ready to go again. If the doctor needed her to test it out Leona would be happy to volunteer to pilot it like she had in the past, but that was the doctor's call.

"It'll be another month or two before it's ready to be tested again, Leona. I need the time to make sure that all the systems are functioning perfectly before you pilot it. I don't want anything like overheating to the point the Atlas catches fire while you're in it or a power system malfunction that could cause you to be electrocuted... or worse." Dr. Reid gave an estimate of the time it would take for all the work to be finished and told what could happen to Leona if the necessary work was not perfect. After being warned about the unpleasant possibilities Leona was not going to rush the doctor. The Wizard Saint had plenty to do until the Atlas was ready to be tested again and she was going to focus on that so that Dr. Reid could focus on her work.

"I'm in no hurry, Doctor. I won't hound you for status reports every day." Leona assured the doctor that there would be no daily messages, daily visits, or anything like that pressing her for status reports on the condition of the Atlas. The doctor smiled again.

"Thanks, Leona. I'll be pretty busy for the next month or two, so I won't have time for that sort of thing." Dr. Reid replied bluntly. Leona kept a straight face and let the remark pass without a response. She was sure that Dr. Reid did not mean to sound so blunt or be rude when giving her reply. Leona kept quiet and waited for the doctor to say something else, but instead the latter took a few sips of coffee before setting her mug down again.

"It's been a long road up to this point, Leona. I'm hoping there's some sort of payoff at the end of it. I don't want all of this work to be for nothing." The doctor said in a slightly weary tone before picking up the mug again. Leona folded her arms across her chest and watched the doctor drink more coffee before setting it down on the table and pushing her chair out. Dr. Reid stood up, picked up her mug in her right hand, and walked over to the coffeemaker on the counter before pausing in front of it and turning to face Leona.

"Hey Leona, do you want some coffee?" Dr. Reid asked. Leona turned to faced the doctor.

"Yes, please." Leona replied in the affirmative. Her hostess pointed towards the cupboard over the sink.

"Grab a mug and I'll pour you a cup." Dr. Reid stated. Leona turned around, walked up to the cupboard where the mugs were kept, and carefully opened it. She reached in with her right hand and grabbed a plain white mug that looked exactly like the ones she kept in the Galley on the Albatross, then pulled it out and gently closed the cupboard door with her left hand.

Leona walked over to the waiting doctor and faced the coffeemaker. True to her word the doctor grabbed the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee for Leona, who waited a minute before sipping the beverage. Leona took a few sips of Motor City Nitro and looked at the doctor, who was looking at her and waiting for an appraisal of the coffee.

"I like this coffee a lot, Doctor. It's got a good taste and quite a bit of caffeine. Thanks for sharing it with me." Leona praised the coffee offered to her by her hostess. Dr. Reid smiled.

"You're welcome, Leona." Dr. Reid replied. After that the two blondes sipped Motor City Nitro in amiable silence. Once she had finished a cup or two of the coffee Leona would see if there was anything Dr. Reid needed from her before she returned to to the Albatross and got Coleridge to fly her back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall.

[Post Word Count: 928]
[Total Word Count: 10,904/11,000]

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 10:09 P.M.-

While visiting Dr. Reid and learning about the status of the work on the Atlas Leona had drank a few cups of Motor City Nitro after the conversation had run its course. After drinking three cups of the coffee Leona had asked her hostess if there was anything she needed help with and Dr. Reid had told her that there was nothing that Leona could do for her today. Once she had learned that there was nothing to do Leona thanked Dr. Reid for the status update on the Atlas and the coffee, then bade the doctor farewell and walked all the way from Dr. Reid's house to the large clearing on the outskirts of Motor City where the Albatross had been landed.

Thanks to the expert flying of Coleridge Leona was back at Silver Wolf Guild Hall and back in her room. Thanks to the caffeine contained in three cups of Motor City Nitro the Wizard Saint was wired and was re-reading the list of riddles that she had started reading before being interrupted by the arrival of the doctor's note. Leona was staring at the riddle that had perplexed her earlier.

In the center of the land of enormous monsters lies the stone.

Leona thought about the words for a minute or two before coming up with a possible idea as to the identity of the location being described. She had a feeling that it was Fat Monsterland. The butcher zombies she had encountered there were rather large and bulky, but she was fairly sure that there were even bigger monsters in the area, ones she had not seen yet.

Fighting the denizens of that area would be a welcome break from digging holes in the sand with a shovel. She was not sure if she would need a shovel to recover the stone in Fat Monsterland or if it was lying out in the open, but she would make that decision later. She also needed to decide if she was going to take the Albatross or use Winged Lion to get there. Again she would make that decision later.

Leona put the list back in her desk and stood up from the chair, then pushed it back in. She was too wired to remain seated any longer and needed to get up and move. She might walk around the guild hall for a bit before she tried going to sleep because right now she could not sleep even if she wanted to. With that she walked to her room door, opened it, and walked through, then closed the door behind her. Maybe she would be able to sleep in an hour or so.

[Post Word Count: 454]
[Total Word Count: 11,358/11,000]