Another Round Of Wine Collecting

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 13, Post Number 314

-50 Meters away from the Abandoned Cabin, 12:17 A.M.-

Dressed in her usual outfit of purple t-shirt and black skirt with white thigh-high stockings and black tennis shoes, Diana had traveled here from Capital Crocus on another job for Vanessa Lexington, the young woman who was fond of collecting rare wines. In her left hand was clutched a silver protective case exactly like the ones she had used for the last job. In her right hand was Saint Sinner Valentine and it was loaded with normal rounds because zombies did not require any special bullets to put them down like ghosts, werewolves, or vampires did. A single shot to the head with an ordinary bullet was all that was needed to kill a zombie.

Diana was going to the cabin to search for a rare vintage of wine called Bonhomie. According to Vanessa it was another limited edition wine made long before either of them were born and it was rare because Bonhomie was reported to have a taste that was so pleasing that anyone who drank it was compelled to finish the bottle. That property led to previously abundant supplies dwindling over the decades until less than sixty bottles of it remained in the world... or so Diana was told.

The sky overhead was cloudless and a crescent moon was shining, but as beautiful as it was that celestial body did not provide nearly enough light to clearly see by, so Diana supplemented it with her night vision mode to get a better look at her surroundings. When she could see clearly Diana could not help but to notice that the cabin was surrounded by zombies moaning and mindlessly pounding against the structure's wooden walls. She could not get an accurate count of how many there were since some of them were behind the cabin and out of sight, but there were at least forty, if not more gathered in front of it and around both sides. In between her weapon and her magic she could easily deal with them long before they could get close to her.

Diana looked all around her position to make sure a zombie had not somehow managed to sneak up on her while she was scoping out the cabin. Once she was sure that she was not going to be attacked by the local walking corpses Diana calmly lifted Saint Sinner Valentine and pointed its barrel into the air before firing off a single shot. That action alerted the zombies besieging the cabin that an easier meal had arrived and they began to peel away from the wooden structure like wallpaper peeling off of a wall. The blonde stood her ground and began to use Saint Sinner Valentine to pick off the walking dead as they began to shuffle towards her.

Diana aimed at the head of each one and fired a single shot, killing twenty-nine zombies in twenty-nine shots to the head without missing a single one. When she was out of ammunition in the current magazine she tapped the reload button and waited for the weapon to reload, then started picking off more of the zombies. Their slow speed was their undoing because she eliminated the rest of them without any trouble... they were all dead by the time they could get fifteen meters away from the cabin.

Aware that her weapon had made a lot of noise, Diana stayed where she was and looked around for any enemies shambling in from the sides. She did not see any yet, so she focused on what was in front of her again and spotted seven zombies moving around from the back of the cabin to come after her. The blonde waited until she was sure that no more enemies were going to emerge before she quickly took out the smaller group with a single carefully aimed shot to the head apiece. When all of the walking corpses were finally down for the count she tapped the reload button and waited until Saint Sinner Valentine was reloaded before moving towards the cabin itself.

When she had gotten here the building had been surrounded and the zombies were making an effort to get inside, suggesting that someone had barricaded themselves in the cabin. Diana wondered if they were still alive or if they had been bitten, died from their wounds, and reanimated as a zombie. She picked up the protective case with her left hand while holding the rifle in her right hand and approached the wooden structure ready for the worst. When she got to within ten meters the door swung open as if she was being invited to go inside.

Diana carefully approached it with Saint Sinner Valentine ready to fire if whatever was inside was no longer among the living.

[Post Word Count: 800]
[Total Word Count: 800/10,000]

Diana continued to slowly and carefully approach the building and when she got to within five meters of it out stepped a black-haired young woman wearing a denim jacket over a black t-shirt and blue jeans with white tennis shoes. She had green eyes and was as tall as Diana and her hair was shoulder-length. On her hip was a sword belt and in her left hand was a silver shortsword. She peered down at the dead zombies lying outside the building, then looked at Diana.

"I'm so glad you're here!" The young woman greeted Diana with an exclamation of relief.

"I've been trapped in there for the past five hours. I explored the basement and was about to leave when I ran into the big crowd of zombies you saw outside. I got inside and managed to block the door, but I didn't know if it would hold long enough for help to get here. I was about to retreat into the basement and look for another way out when I heard gunfire." The young woman explained how dire her situation was before Diana's arrival. After that she put away her sword and Diana reciprocated by putting the safety on and slinging Saint Sinner Valentine over her right shoulder.

"Whoever you are, you're a lifesaver." The other mage continued. Diana read her magic signature and noticed that it was at slightly above a novice mage's level. She wondered what they were doing here but swiftly decided that it was none of her business.

"The name's Janine. Janine Miller." The young woman introduced herself.

"Diana Winchester." Diana gave her name in return. Janine moved away from the cabin and carefully stepped past the dead zombies until she was within arm's reach of the blonde. She then stopped and made eye contact with Diana.

"When exploring the basement I found this really old bottle of wine. At first I thought I'd take it and sell it somewhere, but when things started looking bleak I considered drinking it. I left it alone, though." Janine told her. Diana kept eye contact as a question came to mind.

"Is the name of the wine you found "Bonhomie"?" Diana asked. Janine shrugged her shoulders.

"I think so. The name starts with a B, but I didn't pay all that much attention to the label because I had bigger problems than learning the name of what I was holding. All I know is that it looked pretty expensive." Came the answer. Diana would have to inspect the bottle herself to learn its name.

"Hey, wait a minute! I owe you one for rescuing me, so lemme go get it for you!" Janine said. She spun around on her heels, walked back towards the cabin, and disappeared inside for a few moments before emerging with a wine bottle carefully held in both hands. The black-haired mage soon presented it to Diana.

"Here you go, Diana! Take it with my compliments!" Janine held it out for Diana to inspect. The blonde's eyes immediately went to the label, which featured a black-and-white sketch of well-dressed men wearing formal suits and top hats sitting around a table loaded with food and holding wine glasses. Above the sketch was the name "Bonhomie."

"This is exactly what I was after." Diana remarked on being given the wine she had been sent to retrieve. She quickly set the protective case on the ground and opened it, then put the bottle of Bonhomie inside and closed the case. She secured the latches and took the handle into her left hand.

"Well, I'm going to leave while the going's good. Maybe we'll meet in Capital Crocus some time." Janine said. Diana held out her right hand in a "Stop!" gesture.

"I will go with you, Janine. I have what I came for, so there is no point in me staying here." Diana stated. The other mage smiled.

"All right then, Diana. We'll set out for Capital Crocus right away!" Janine said. The black-haired mage took the lead and Diana followed at her right side. Diana could not believe her luck... she had expected a lengthy search for the wine but it had been handed to her. All that was missing was gift wrapping for the bottle and a silver platter for it to be presented on, but the blonde was not going to complain about her good luck. However, the blonde did not want to seem like she was taking advantage of Janine, so Diana would give Janine part of what she earned from finding the bottle of Bonhomie when she got back to Capital Crocus and gave the rare wine to Vanessa.

[Post Word Count: 778]
[Total Word Count: 1,578/10,000]

-The next night, outside Sombras Manor, 12:26 A.M.-

Upon reaching Vanessa's home in Capital Crocus yesterday she had given the bottle of Bonhomie to the client but did not receive payment for the wine since this time the client established that Diana would not be paid until she completed the job. Diana had been forced to promise Janine payment at a later date, a bargain that the black-haired mage had readily accepted. Now the blonde was standing outside Sombras Manor and was poised to enter it so that she could find the second bottle of wine she had been sent to collect and come a step closer to keeping her word to Janine.

Tonight's target was a rare bottle of wine called Sommelier's Friend. It was a vintage that was said to have first been made roughly fifty years ago by a winery that was particularly selective about what grapes went into making its wine. Each bottle was rather expensive, but its flavor went with a wide variety of haute cuisine that when it was available it became the go-to choice for sommeliers who needed something to offer the pickiest of wine connoisseurs. However, unlike some of the other wines she had found for Vanessa in the past, this one was still being produced, albeit in small quantities because the winery still persisted in selecting only the best grapes according to strict standards.

Armed with Saint Sinner Valentine in her right hand and a protective case for the wine in her left hand, Diana was ready to go inside the manor, but there was one last detail she needed to take care of. She set down the case and used her left hand to tap the white heart that would change the contents of the magazine from normal rounds to Silver Bullets for use against the spirits that called this place home. Diana waited until the changeover was complete and when the weapon was loaded with the specialty rounds she picked the case up and slung the rifle on her shoulder, then went to the doors of the manor and opened the left one. She then went inside and shut the door behind her.

-Inside Sombras Manor, 12:28 A.M.-

Diana turned around and looked down the hallway ahead of her with both normal vision and her spectral vision mode to spot any threats that might be waiting for a visitor, but it was empty except for the suits of metal armor on stands positioned on both sides of the hallway. She recalled the way to the basement wine cellar and went left, walking with her right hand empty in case she needed to use a spell at a moment's notice. She reached the bend in the hall and went right, then spotted the stairwell to the basement. Diana approached it and heard disembodied female laughter from somewhere close by and paused in place.

She soon spun around with spectral vision mode activated to see if the source was standing behind her, but the blonde mage spotted nothing but empty air and a wooden door. Diana returned to normal vision and faced forward again and walked to the basement stairs, then began to carefully go down them.

-In the basement, 12:30 A.M.-

At the bottom of the stairs Diana turned right and looked ahead of her with her spectral vision mode to see if the source of the laughter was waiting on her down here. Diana saw nothing out of the ordinary, so she immediately switched back to normal vision and walked to the first door on the right, then opened it. She walked into the room and shut the door behind her.

-Inside the wine cellar, 12:32 A.M.-

Diana recalled the location of the hidden lever and pulled the arm holding the brass lantern that was sitting to the left of the door. The hidden floor panel opened up again and Diana saw the stairs that led down into the hidden section where the truly valuable wine was kept. She put her right hand on her head to protect it from the low ceiling as she walked over to the stairs, then put her left foot on them before immediately descending into the darkness.

-Inside the hidden section, 12:36 A.M.-

Diana had completed the descent and was now in the secret wine cellar, which was quite cold for some reason. She recalled having to deal with spectral servants who were not happy about her taking the bottle of Imperator '88 and suspected that she might encounter more ghosts some time soon. That would not stop her, though. Diana was working towards a big payday and was not going to let a few angry spirits get in her way.

She faced forward and began walking towards the shelf of wine sitting against the back wall.

[Post Word Count: 804]
[Total Word Count: 2,382/10,000]

Within a minute of entering the hidden wine cellar Diana reached the shelf of wine and began to carefully move bottles of wine in search of what she was after. All of the bottles looked to be older than she was, so she would have to be careful not to accidentally knock one off and break it because one of them might be another item of interest for Vanessa in the future. The blonde mage searched the shelves until she found what she was looking for in the top left corner of the bottom shelf, a dark green bottle with a label depicting a bottle of wine sitting on a silver platter being held by a hand wearing a white glove. The label read Sommelier's Friend in a fancy cursive font positioned just below the gloved hand.

Diana carefully removed her right hand from within the shelf, then set the protective case in her left hand down on the cold stone floor. She bent over and opened it, then stood upright and reached back into the bottom shelf to gently pull out her prize. She grabbed it and gently maneuvered it out of its resting place without knocking over any of the other bottles, then placed it inside the case and closed it. Diana then picked up the case by the handle with her left hand and turned around to head back up the stairs.

She had found the wine she had been sent to collect, so it was time to leave this place.

-Outside the wine cellar, in the basement, 12:46 A.M.-

Diana had shut the door to the wine cellar and turned left to face the staircase that would take her back to the first floor. She began to walk briskly towards the staircase and noted that the area was growing cold, hinting that she soon might be fighting off the specters of household staff intent on not letting another bottle of wine leave the manor. They were welcome to try and stop Diana, but she highly doubted that they were any more capable of stopping her than they had been the last time she was here. Diana reached the stairs and began to carefully ascend them while looking up towards the first floor.

-12:48 A.M., the first floor-

Diana emerged from the stairwell and turned left to face the corner. She suddenly felt the same chill in the air that she had felt in the basement, but so far no spirits were appearing to confront her. She decided to get a move on and started walking, rounding the corner and heading down the hall towards the front door. Diana's footsteps thump-thump-thumped on the wooden floor as she walked at a brisk pace to try and leave the manor before she had to fight her way out.

When she ended the hall she turned right and found the wooden double doors. Without breaking stride Diana reached for the right door and twisted the knob, then pushed outward. The door opened and she strode through it, then shut it behind her. She had retrieved another rare vintage for Vanessa.

-Capital Crocus, Diana's neighborhood, 7:33 P.M.-

Diana had taken the long way home from Sombras Manor and had delivered the case of Sommelier's Friend to Vanessa, who gratefully accepted the treasure and promised that Diana would only have to find one more rare vintage for her before being paid. The name of that vintage would be given to Diana in a day or two because Vanessa had to choose between several that she wanted to add to her collection.

In the meantime Diana would go home for the evening and sleep awhile before getting up and possibly looking for a job to occupy time until Vanessa gave the blonde her next assignment. Diana strolled down the street her home was located on at a leisurely pace until she spotted her townhouse. She kept it in sight as she walked towards it and reached the front door without meeting Amber, Angela, or anyone else that she knew. She reached the front door and stopped, then knocked on it. Before the blonde's knuckles could hit the wood a third time Ami opened the door... Diana waked into the living room, then turned around and watched as the winged android shut the door behind her.

Diana was finally home.

[Post Word Count: 726]
[Total Word Count: 3,108/10,000]

-Capital Crocus, The Lexington Estate, 1:03 P.M.-

When Diana woke up at 11:00 A.M. this morning she found that a note had been slipped under her door, presumably by their mutual acquaintance Angela Helton. Diana had been summoned to the Lexington Estate by her client Vanessa, who had finally chosen which vintage of wine she wanted her hired helper to get for her next. When the blonde mage arrived at her destination Vanessa was waiting on her at the front door. The latter must have been swimming until fairly recently because she wore a modest white bikini and had a yellow beach towel wrapped around her legs plus a silver protective case for the wine held by the grip, which was clutched firmly in her left hand. She looked happy to see Diana.

"Hey Diana! I see that the note Angela left you managed to reach you!" Vanessa greeted Diana warmly.

"I read it. I take it that you have decided upon where I am to go next." Diana confirmed that she had read the note. The brown-haired young woman nodded.

"I'm sending you to Haunted Castle again. This time I'm looking for a wine named Artist's Perspective, which is over one hundred years old. It's kinda hard to find because it was another limited run vintage... according to what I read the creator was a winegrower who believed that making wine was an art and that it wasn't intended for mass production. So they made a little over one hundred bottles of it over the course of ten years before stopping production completely." Vanessa gave Diana the name and the backstory of the wine she was to retrieve.

"I've heard rumors that there might be vampire activity inside of Haunted Castle, but I haven't been able to verify them, so be careful. If you encounter too many vampires for you to handle or if you just can't find the bottle of Artist's Perspective, get out of there. Return to me and I'll pay you for the two vintages you've already recovered. I don't want you getting killed or turned into a vampire over a bottle of wine." The client gave Diana permission to abandon the search if the rumors proved to be true and she encountered more vampires than she could fight.

"If the danger is too great I will do exactly as you say." Diana replied calmly. She had fought vampires in the past... her Silent Reaper magic was more than capable of dealing with them and she also had Saint Sinner Valentine's special Ultraviolet Bullets, which were specifically made to kill the nocturnal beings. However, if they were out in force she would call off the search and return to Capital Crocus to receive payment for what she had already retrieved, then pay Janine Miller what had been promised out of that. The blonde had no problem taking a reduced payment if it meant staying alive to work another day.

"Excellent. Just be careful in there, Diana." Vanessa told Diana to be careful and held out the protective case. Diana walked over and took it, taking its grip into her left hand. She then turned away and set out for her townhouse, where she would pick up Saint Sinner Valentine before proceeding to Haunted Castle.

"Good luck!" The client called out as Diana walked away.

-Diana's Neighborhood, 2:38 P.M.-

Diana shut the door to her townhouse behind her and heard Ami lock it. Armed with Saint Sinner Valentine slung over her right shoulder and the safety on for the time being, Diana turned away from her front door and began to walk for the outskirts of Capital Crocus. Since a time limit had not been attached to the job she would walk to her destination... if the bottle of Artist's Perspective was really in Haunted Castle she doubted that she had to worry about vampires drinking it.

-Outside Haunted Castle, 10:31 P.M.-

Diana had arrived outside of Haunted Castle less than thirty minutes ago and had spent that time recovering from the long walk. The moon had come up roughly three hours ago and it was a crescent moon hovering in a cloudless night sky. The wind was blowing gently and her hair was being gently moved behind her as she faced the castle doors.

Diana recalled what Vanessa had told her and set the protective case on the ground, then took Saint Sinner Valentine off of her right shoulder before taking off the safety. She then tapped the white heart on the weapon's body with her left index finger to switch the magazine type to Ultraviolet Bullets and waited for the switch to complete before she went any further. The moment the switch was finished Diana slung the rifle onto her right shoulder, picked up the case with her left hand, and walked towards the right castle door. Once she got to it she opened it with her right hand, went inside the castle, and closed the door behind her.

[Post Word Count: 834]
[Total Word Count: 3,942/10,000]

-Inside Haunted Castle, the first floor, 10:33 P.M.-

Diana was standing inside the castle foyer, where the chandeliers overhead were providing lighting like they always had. She looked left and looked right as she began to recall where everything was and decided to go right and check the dining hall for the bottle of Artist's Perspective. She went right at the branching path a short distance ahead of her and began to walk down the hallway, ignoring the beautiful artwork on the walls as she did so. Diana had already seen them all before, but they were still eye-catching and she did not need to get distracted by the masterful paintings. Despite not seeing any enemies she was still in a dangerous place and did not need to lose focus.

Diana walked down the hallway and passed by the paintings without stopping to look, but doing so was an exercise in willpower. When she reached the end of the hallway she turned right and began to ascend the staircase. Holding her right hand on the top of her head for protection since the ceiling was a little low, the blonde slowly and carefully climbed the stairs that would take her to the second floor.

-Haunted Castle, the second floor, 10:35 P.M.-

Diana emerged from the staircase and turned right to see another hallway bathed in gentle light coming from chandeliers on the ceiling. There was more artwork on the walls and all of it was as eye-catching as the artwork on the first floor even though the theme on this floor was aging and death. Diana saw the branching path and remembered that the left path consisted of a small hallway that eventually rejoined the right one, so she did not waste time going left but instead walked straight ahead. As she walked she thought she saw someone in a black-and-white outfit standing in the distance, but when she blinked they were gone. The blonde did not dismiss that sighting as a figment of her imagination and slowed her walking pace down to the point her footsteps barely made a sound on the bare wooden floor.

Diana switched between her vision modes and soon stopped on spectral vision so that she could spot any hidden ghosts, but she was currently not seeing any. Despite the absence of ghosts she could feel a chill in the air as she slowly progressed down the hall and she saw the lights of the chandeliers flicker: more than once they came close to going out completely, but they remained lit. As Diana drew close to the stairwell on the right she saw the black-and-white figure straight ahead for just a moment before they vanished and suspected that she was not alone here.

She reached the stairwell without incident and entered it, then climbed the stairs slowly and carefully with her right hand on the top of her head.

-Haunted Castle, the third floor, 10:39 P.M.-

Diana emerged from the stairwell and turned right to face the large dining hall she was standing in. Golden chandeliers provided the lighting and the large rectangular table slightly offset from the center of the room gleamed with fancy dinnerware... plates made of actual silver and crystal drinking glasses were so abundant that they made the table almost glow. However, there was no bottle of wine sitting on it, so the piece of furniture was of momentary interest before Diana turned her attention elsewhere, namely on another stairwell on the right side of the room. She wondered if her prize would be waiting upstairs before she looked towards the back of the dining hall and spotted a large pair of wooden double doors that had golden doorknobs... considering their proximity to the table Diana suspected that she was looking at doors that belonged to a kitchen.

Before she cold confirm or disprove that hypothesis she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and felt a chill in the air, which prompted her to spin around. A short distance behind Diana floated a single ghost that was dressed in old-fashioned female maid attire and had empty spots where eyes usually were, but Diana knew that the spirit was looking at her because the black holes were fixed squarely on her eyes. It floated in place and raise its right hand, pointing a finger at her as its mouth opened.

"You should not have come here, mortal. Now your life is forfeit!" It declared just before a small army of domestic servant spirits materialized behind it to lend credibility to its threat. Diana was undaunted by its words and backed away a few steps, then raised her right hand to prepare to cast a spell.

[Post Word Count: 788]
[Total Word Count: 4,730/10,000]

Diana started off by preparing and casting her go-to spell for starting a fight, Spirit Drain Beam. The pale blue beam of magic hit the ghostly servant who had addressed her and dispelled them with a single hit, but there were still at least thirty more ghosts behind them and all of them were beginning to move towards the blonde. Diana quickly sprinted to the left and got just enough distance from them to use a Reaper's Sprint spell to put herself near the stairwell. When she reappeared she had gained enough space to prepare and cast a Spirit Drain Seekers spell without having to worry about being swarmed before she could cast it.

Diana quickly channeled pale blue magic into her body until a visible aura began to form and when the spell was ready she jabbed her right index finger towards the small army of spectral servants, sending out twenty-five seeking projectiles that each picked out a target and aligned with it as they flew. All twenty-five seekers hit their targets and the ghosts dissipated on the spot, leaving far fewer enemies to deal with. There were still ten or so left, but now Diana had much more room to maneuver in and cast spells with little fear of being interrupted during the process.

The blonde did not waste any time in preparing her Soul Wave spell to fend off the remaining ghosts, who had all formed into a mob before rushing at her at human running speed. She formed a shimmering pale blue ball of magic the size of a baseball in her right hand before raising the hand and waving it from left to right, firing a shimmering pale blue wave of magic at the enemies. Eight of them were hit by the wave and vanished, leaving only two angry ghosts to deal with.

Diana faced the one on the left and prepared a Soul Sniper spell, then cast it when her right arm was visibly flickering due to the magic that had been channeled into it. She thrust her right hand outward with the palm open, firing a beam that hit the target in the chest and vanquished it. The last spirit was closing in fast and had its hands reaching out for her shoulders, but the blonde was ready for it. She quickly made ready her Soul Spark spell and fired the shimmering pale blue ball of magic the size of a golf ball at the spirit, hitting it before it could get within a meter of her. The angry ghost vanished and Diana was once more alone in the dining room.

However, despite being visibly alone the blonde could not help but to feel that she was being watched by invisible eyes. Diana switched to spectral vision mode, then looked around the room for any invisible entities that might have taken advantage of the fighting to slip in unobserved. She did not see any, so she switched back to normal vision and looked around the walls. There she saw a flicker of black-and-white clothing dart to the right before vanishing and knew that she was not the only one in the dining room.

Diana prepared for another fight by holding her right hand outward and ready to cast spells. Diana felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and spotted a young woman about her height with shoulder-length black hair wearing black-and-white maid attire looking at her. She noticed that the young woman had prominent canine teeth with tips that gleamed in the light and pupils that were slits... the guildless mage suspected that she had encountered one of the vampires that were said to dwell in Haunted Castle.

"Welcome, stranger. The table's set and dinner's just about to be served." She spoke two sentences that were delivered in a sweet manner but had sinister undertones. Diana did not need to be told that she was intended to be the main course of the meal, but she was not going to end up on a plate if she had any say in the matter. The maid did not wait for a response and raised her hands, then rushed at Diana. The blonde quickly prepared a Spirit Drain Bolt with her right hand and punched at the vampire, sending a pale blue bolt of magic the size of her fist at it. The vampire's eyes widened a second before the spell hit her in the chest and caused her to ignite in pale blue flames.

High-pitched screaming sounded as the young woman tripped and her momentum carried her past Diana. She fell to the ground a short distance behind the blonde and began to scream again while rolling about for a few seconds before going still and turning into a pile of ash. Diana knew that she would not have long to search for the bottle of wine before more vampires arrived, so she needed to think fast. She sprinted past the remains of the recently slain enemy and opened the left door to what she believed was the kitchen, then entered it and shut the door behind her.

[Post Word Count: 858]
[Total Word Count: 5,588/10,000]

-Haunted Castle, the third floor, inside the kitchen, 10:43 P.M.-

Diana stood inside of a large kitchen that had an old-fashioned wood-fueled oven in the center of the back wall, an open cabinet full of jars of spices sitting on the left wall, and wall-to-wall counter space where dishes sat on top of the counter as if waiting to be run out to the dining hall. She switched to her night vision mode and spotted cuts of what looked to be meat on top of the plates, but she could not readily identify the source. She knew that she did not have all night to search the space, so she ignored that detail in favor of looking for the bottle of Artist's Perspective.

Diana looked around the kitchen and did not spot anywhere wine might be stored like a refrigerator, but then she remembered that this place had likely been built long before such modern conveniences were available, which explained the presence of a wood-fueled oven. She looked around the counters one last time and spotted a single bottle sitting next to the spice cabinet. Diana walked briskly over to it, picked it up with her right hand, and read the label. It was a black-and-white image of an artist sitting in front of an easel while painting a young woman wearing an old-fashioned dress from roughly one hundred years ago. The name beneath the image was "Artist's Perspective" and the font used made it look like it was painted by a brush.

Realizing that she had found her prize, Diana quickly set the protective case in her left hand on top of the counter, set the bottle of wine down, opened the case, and gently put the wine inside before gently closing the lid and closing it. She secured the latches and took the case's handle into her left hand, then turned to face the double doors. Diana was about to leave the kitchen when she heard someone calling out from behind a door to the right she had failed to notice when she first entered the room.

"HEEEELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" A female voice pleaded. The blonde did not want to get trapped in the kitchen since there was only one way in or out, but she could not leave someone to become a meal for vampires. Gripping the handle of the case in her left hand, Diana hurried to the door and put her right hand on the brass knob, then opened it and stepped inside.

-Inside the room-

Diana entered the room to find herself facing a young woman with long, braided red hair and red eyes standing up with her hands tied above her head. She was dressed in a classy outfit of open black jacket over white shirt with a pocket, a black choker around her neck, a black skirt, and black high heels. The rope was hung on a meat hook hanging on a short chain from the ceiling and the young woman was clearly nearing the end of her endurance because her legs were wobbling and she was forcing herself to stay on her feet. To the left were other meat hooks holding meat that might have been beef and pork, but Diana did not have time to determine their source.

The young woman made eye contact with Diana and struggled to hold her head up long enough to speak.

"PLEASE HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I DON'T WANT TO BE BUTCHERED FOR MEAT FOR THOSE VAMPIRES!" She pleaded with Diana. Diana was willing to help, but she wanted to be sure that she was not dealing with a vampire who let themselves be bait for would-be rescuers thinking they were saving a damsel in distress before she freed the captive. The blonde mage spoke to the redhead.

"Have you been bitten anywhere?" Diana asked. The redhead shook her head.

"No! I wasn't bitten!" She informed Diana. Diana analyzed her body language and saw that she was not lying to her. Deciding to take a risk since there was not much time to use another test of the redhead's status as a human, she gently lowered the young woman's arms from above her head and allowed her to rest for a few moments. Diana looked around and found a nearby meat cleaver that she used to saw off the ropes on the redhead's wrists. Once that was done Diana put the implement back where it belonged.

"Thanks, Lady! I'm Sandra Ashwood!" The redhead gratefully introduced herself to the blonde mage. Now that they were closer Diana could detect a weak magic signature that corresponded to the level of a novice mage coming from the redhead, who was two inches taller than the blonde.

"I am Diana Winchester." Diana quickly introduced herself. Sandra put her hands on the front of her legs and bent down to take a few breaths. Her arms were shaking from the stress they had been put under while they were hanging from the meat hook.

"We must go now, Sandra. I killed one vampire to get in here and I suspect that we will have to fight our way out of here. They might be gathering outside the kitchen as we speak." Diana told Sandra that now was no time to rest. The redhead sighed and stood up straight.

"OK, Diana. I'm not gonna be any help in a fight since I'm too tired to cast any spells, so I'm gonna trust you to get us out of here. Lead the way." Sandra said.

Sandra Ashwood:

[Post Word Count: 928]
[Total Word Count: 6,516/10,000]

-Haunted Castle, the third floor, the dining hall, 10:47 P.M.-

Clutching the case containing the bottle of wine she had been sent to collect in one hand and with Sandra following close behind, Diana's objective was to get out of Haunted Castle alive. She strode briskly across the dining hall while looking about for any more vampires who might have heard the fight between her and the first vampire. So far she was not seeing any, but just because she could not see them did not mean that they were not there.

"I'm not seeing anything behind us, Diana." Sandra reported that so far they were not being followed.

"Do not relax until we are out of this castle, Sandra. Keep a watch for anything that might try to follow us." Diana ordered the redhead. The pair walked through the dining hall without encountering anything, but their escape was interrupted when a pair of male vampires  with short black hair dressed in stereotypical butler attire that included white gloves on their hands rushed up the stairs and paused in front of the way out. Their eyes made contact with the two mages.

"You two simply must stay for dinner! We will not allow you to leave!" One of them hinted at what would happen to Diana and Sandra should they be captured. Diana had no intention of obliging and quickly prepared a Soul Wave spell. When it was ready she waved her right hand in a left-to-right motion, sending out a shimmering pale blue wave of magic that hit the two undead butlers and disintegrated them on the spot before they realized that they were under attack, leaving the way clear for the mages to continue their escape.

"You... you killed them just like that! With one spell!" Sandra said in amazement at the blonde's power.

"We had better hurry, Sandra. Please follow me." Diana requested. She began to jog towards the stairs and the redhead followed, her high heels going CLACK-CLACK-CLACK on the wooden floor as she followed her rescuer. They hustled down the stairs as quickly as they could move without running the risk of tripping and breaking their necks in the tumble down the stairs that would result from losing their footing.

-Haunted Castle, the second floor, 10:50 P.M.-

Diana emerged from the stairwell first followed by Sandra, who was dutifully keeping watch behind them as they moved. The blonde faced left and saw five vampires barring the way to the stairwell at the end of the hall. The vampire in front of his fellows was one with white hair and a golden monocle over his left eye along with the butler attire like that the vampires that had just been dispatched had worn. He noticed the pair and pointed them out with a gloved finger.

"Don't let our guests get away!" He instructed the others before sprinting towards Diana at a speed slightly faster than that of an average human. The blonde quickly raised her right hand and formed her fingers into the shape of a gun before preparing and firing a Spirit Bullet spell at the oncoming vampire. The bullet of pale blue magic hit the undead butler in the head as he ran and the sudden death caused him to trip and fall on his face and his momentum made him slide a short distance on his face as he turned to ash.

Diana hurried down the hallway towards the remaining four vampires while Sandra did her best to keep up while checking behind them for enemies who might have waited for the pair to leave the dining hall before following them down the stairwell to the third floor. Another vampire, a young woman with ear-length black hair and silver-rimmed glasses who was dressed in maid attire, endeavored to bar their way.

The blonde mage did not utter a word as she raised her right hand and prepared a Spirit Drain Beam spell. Sensing that she was about to be on the receiving end of a powerful spell, the female vampire began sprinting towards the blonde while zigzagging and making abrupt stops. Despite the target's rapid movement Diana's aim was not going to be thrown off by such measures and waited until the young vampire did a sudden stop after sprinting a full meter before firing the Spirit Drain Beam. The pale blue beam of magic hit the surprised vampire and she screamed in agony as she caught on pale blue fire and fell to the ground, then rolled around while frantically patting down her body in a vain attempt to extinguish the flames. The undead maid soon stopped rolling around and turned to ash the very moment she stopped moving.

Two of the vampires at the end of the hallway near the stairwell decided that they did not want to fight the blonde and bolted down the stairs to the first floor, but the third one, a middle-aged butler, stood his ground and faced Diana. The blonde "rewarded" him for his courage by using her The Touch Of Death spell to try and catch him by surprise. She quickly channeled pale blue magic through her body and then performing a "flash step" that made her vanish from his sight. The confused vampire began spinning around looking for her when she reappeared behind him in a dramatically different form... she was now a black-robed skeleton with no eyes who looked like a typical portrayal of the Grim Reaper, but her drastic change in appearance was only an illusion, so she could see the target just fine. Diana reached out with a skeletal right hand wreathed in pale blue flame and touched the unsuspecting enemy on the right shoulder for a fatal touch that ended his life before he could even turn around to face his attacker.

The moment after her hand touched his shoulder the vampire turned to ash on the spot and Diana returned to her normal human form. Thanks to the "flash step" that was part of the spell she now stood only three meters from the stairwell. She turned to look at Sandra, who was clearly horrified by witnessing Diana's The Touch Of Death spell in action.

"We need to keep moving, Sandra." Diana urged the redhead.

"O-OK." Sandra meekly replied in a voice that made it clear she was shaken by what she had just seen.

[Post Word Count: 1,066]
[Total Word Count: 7,582/10,000]

-Haunted Castle, the first floor, 10:56 P.M.-

After dealing with the last enemy barring their way to the stairwell the pair of mages entered the stairwell and hurried down the stairs. They reached the bottom without incident and Diana turned left to face the hallway that led to the entrance. It was currently free of vampires, but she did not count on that lasting for long. Diana tightened her right hand into a fist and took a quiet breath.

"We are going to run for it, Sandra." Diana told the redhead what their next move was.

"O-OK." Sandra replied. Diana took a quiet breath before sprinting towards the entrance. Sandra followed suit and the hall was filled with the sound of hurried footsteps as the blonde and the redhead made a dash for freedom. The blonde was not sure why vampires were not barring their path, but she was not going to question it. The pair made it to the end of the hallway without having to fight and Diana quickly stopped and put her hand on the doorknob of the left door, then twisted it and pulled the door open.

"Hurry." Diana issued a one-word command to the redhead, who looked right and screamed. Diana glanced right and saw a stream of undead maids and butlers charging up the basement stairs with looks of hunger on their faces.

"THEY'RE COMING AFTER US! DO SOMETHING!" Sandra screamed in panic and jabbed her right index finger towards the enemies. Diana faced the redhead and made eye contact.

"Hurry." Diana repeated her command in a calm voice. This time Sandra obeyed and hurried out the open door as the last of the vampires cleared the basement stairs. The moment the redhead was outside Diana hurried through and closed the door behind her, escaping with only seconds to spare.

-Outside Haunted Castle, 11:02 P.M.-

Sandra was running in a headlong sprint, her earlier fatigue having been washed away by the adrenaline pumping through her body. Diana followed close behind and stopped when she was five meters away from the castle. She spun around and saw nineteen vampires stream out of the castle doors with the intent of chasing the mages down and either draining them of blood where they were caught or dragging them back to the kitchen on the third floor to be the evening meal. Diana heard footsteps from behind and felt a forceful tug on her left arm.

"THEY'RE FOLLOWING US! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! RUN!" Sandra screamed.

Knowing that running would only lead to them dying tired because it was still nighttime and the moon did not hurt vampires like the sun did, Diana ignored the redhead and prepared a Spirit Drain Seekers spell. She silently began to channel pale blue magic into her body and a pale blue aura soon formed around her body. When it was complete she jabbed her right index finger towards the vampires, sending out nineteen seeker projectiles that picked a single target and homed in on it while in flight. The seekers slammed into their targets almost in unison and the night air was pierced by the agonized screams of vampires who had caught on pale blue fire.

Diana watched the pale blue flames burn the vampires as the undead servants flailed about and patted themselves in a futile effort to put themselves out. Soon the undead human torches crumpled to the ground and turned to ash. The wind suddenly picked up and blew the ashes away in a grim mockery of a wish for someone's cremated remains to be scattered in a particular location after their death.

"Damn, Diana. That was seriously creepy to watch. You killed all of them with one spell like it was nothing. Remind me to never piss you off." Sandra muttered in barely suppressed fear after witnessing the grim spectacle. Diana silently looked towards the castle doors and spotted a lone butler vampire looking towards her while standing in the doorway of the open right door. She raised her right hand to prepare a Spirit Drain Beam spell and the vampire must have spotted the gesture because they abruptly turned and hurried inside, then slammed the door shut.

"Do you think they any more of them will follow us?" Sandra asked Diana. Diana lowered her right hand.

"I do not think so, Sandra. I think they will leave us alone now that they know that we are capable of defending ourselves." Diana replied.

"I'm going to Capital Crocus since that's where I live." Sandra told Diana her destination.

"I live there too." Diana replied, sharing a little information about herself. The redhead smiled for the first time since they met.

"Man, tonight was my lucky night! I get saved from vampires by a gorgeous lady who can kill them like it's no big deal and now she's gonna take me home!" Sandra celebrated her good fortune.

"Lead the way to Capital Crocus, Sandra. I will watch our backs." Diana requested. The redhead gave a wide smile.

"OK, Diana! Follow me!" She issued a command before setting off at a brisk pace.

[Post Word Count: 854]
[Total Word Count: 8,436/10,000]

-Capital Crocus, outside the Lexington Estate, 11:43 A.M.-

It had been a long walk from Haunted Castle to Capital Crocus and that walk had been extended by the need for Sandra to stop and rest at several points during the trip, but the pair had made it to their destination without having to fight either pursuing vampires or human bandits. Along the way Diana had learned that the redhead's claim that she was a human was true because she had not been turned to ash by the rays of the sun, so the blonde's gamble in trusting that Sandra was human liked she had claimed to be had paid off. Sandra looked exhausted but happy to be alive and back in her hometown. Diana had requested that they go to the Lexington Estate before they go to Sandra's apartment, a request that the redhead was happy to grant.

"I apologize for the detour, Sandra. I need to deliver this wine to my client so that I can get the money to pay a debt to someone." Diana apologized for being so selfish as to delay the redhead's return to her home. The red-eyed young woman waved off the apology.

"I owe you my life and that's no exaggeration. After the risk you went through to rescue me I don't mind taking a little longer to get home." Sandra replied that the detour was no problem to her. The front door to the mansion opened and out strode Vanessa, who was wearing a white tank top and denim skirt with brown sandals. The brunette smiled widely as she approached Diana.

"Diana! It's so good to see you again! I was worried that you'd gotten in some serious trouble!" Vanessa warmly greeted her. Diana analyzed her body language and saw that her client's concern for her well-being was genuine. The blonde wordlessly raised the protective case in her left hand and held it out for the brunette to collect.

"Did you find the bottle of Artist's Perspective?" Vanessa inquired, completely ignoring Sandra's presence despite the redhead standing to the blonde's right. The wealthy young woman gently took the case from Diana's hand, set it on its side on the ground, and opened the latches. She knelt down and opened the case to find the bottle of wine intact thanks to being nestled inside the thick foam cutout that held the bottle perfectly still. Vanessa gasped.

"You found it, Diana! You found the Artist's Perspective!" Vanessa said in awe before shutting the case back and picking it up, taking the grip into her left hand.

"It was not easy, Vanessa. There were vampires in Haunted Castle after all and I had to fight through them to escape with the wine and with Sandra." Diana stated before confirming that the rumors the brunette had heard were true. The client looked at Diana in awe.

"You fought your way through the castle to get this wine for me?" Vanessa asked. Diana nodded.

"She sure did, Lady! Diana rescued me from those vampires too! I know that rescuing me wasn't part of her job, but I'm grateful that she took the time to save me from that kitchen even though it took time she probably couldn't afford to spare." Sandra spoke up in Diana's favor.

"I can't believe that you would go to so much trouble for me, Diana. Let me get your money now. You've more than earned it!" Vanessa said before turning and going back inside the mansion. Diana waited patiently for the client to return and when she did she came back bearing a large and sturdy bag of Jewels that she handed to the blonde.

"Here you go, Diana! That's the amount I promised you for all three bottles of wine you collected for me. You've earned every last Jewel of it!" The brunette told her. Diana made eye contact with the brown-haired young woman.

"Thank you, Vanessa." Diana thanked Vanessa for paying her such a generous sum for her work.

"You're welcome, Diana. I'll definitely contact you in the future when I have something I want you to find for me. I'll see you later!" The brunette replied before bidding Diana farewell and walking back to the mansion. When she entered the door shut behind her... now that her work was done Diana faced Sandra.

"Are you ready to go home, Sandra?" Diana asked.

"I'm ready, Diana. I bet my roommate's gonna be glad to see me!" Sandra replied in the affirmative.

"Lead the way, please." Diana requested.

"You bet!" Sandra cheerfully accepted the request before taking the lead despite her fatigue. She started walking to the left and Diana turned on her heels to follow the redhead to their destination with a bag of Jewels that rattled with each step she took.

[Post Word Count: 802]
[Total Word Count: 9,238/10,000]

-Capital Crocus, outside Sandra's apartment, 1:09 P.M.-

Sandra had led Diana on another lengthy walk through the city and this one had taken the pair to a "good" part of town that lacked the fancy townhouses that characterized Diana's neighborhood but had clean-looking and well-maintained white two-story apartment buildings arranged in clusters. The apartment they stood outside was one with a green door with the brass numbers "113" hanging above the doorframe.

"I'll go knock on the door to see if my roommate's home. I hope she is because I left my apartment key in my room." Sandra said. Diana hung back as the redhead approached the door and knocked on it. Within seconds the door was answered by a black-haired young woman with green eyes, her hair done up in a ponytail, and wearing a short-sleeved black t-shirt and blue jeans with white tennis shoes. The black-haired young woman looked at Sandra and gasped.

"Sandra! You're alive!" The young woman exclaimed and reached out to hug Sandra. Sandra accepted the embrace and smiled at her roommate, then turned to face Diana.

"Hey Janine, have you ever met Diana?" Sandra asked the raven-haired young woman. The latter made eye contact with the blonde for a few seconds before turning her head and facing Sandra. Diana looked at the young woman and recognized her as Janine Miller, the mage who had helped her at Abandoned Cabin a few days earlier.

"I know Diana. She saved my life almost three days ago when I went to Abandoned Cabin a few days ago and explored it. When I started to leave I was confronted by a lot of zombies and fled back into the cabin. They surrounded it and pounded on the walls for hours without stopping. I thought that I was done for, but Diana killed them all and rescued me, then escorted me back to Capital Crocus." Janine explained how she had met Diana. Sandra simply smiled.

"She saved my life from some vampires in Haunted Castle. I went there to explore a little over sixteen hours ago and got caught by them. They took me to the kitchen and stuffed me in a room where they stored meat and promised to butcher me for the evening meal, but Diana got to me first. Things got hairy when we left the dining hall, but she got us out of that castle and back to Capital Crocus without a scratch." Sandra told her roommate how she had met the blonde. Upon the conclusion of the story Janine faced Diana.

"Thanks for saving my friend and roommate, Diana. That's another one I owe you." Janine said. Diana shook her head in response.

"You owe me nothing, Janine. I, on the other hand, owe you the money I promised you for the bottle of Bonhomie a few days ago." Diana shot down the idea of the raven-haired woman owing her another debt before walking forward with the bag of Jewels in hand. The other mage stood and watched in astonishment as Diana stopped in front of her.

"Let us go inside to discuss the payment I owe you." Diana requested of Janine. The speechless young woman simply nodded.

"Sure, sure. Sure thing. We'll-we'll go inside now, D-Diana." She blurted out inarticulately. The trio went into the apartment and Janine shut the door behind them.

-Capital Crocus, Diana's Townhouse, Diana's Bedroom, 4:35 P.M.-

After paying one-third of the reward money Vanessa had given her to Janine Miller in order to keep her word to the mage who had helped her at Abandoned Cabin Diana had went home. After a lengthy trip that took quite awhile thanks to the dense pedestrian traffic Diana was now lying on her bed. She had taken off her black tennis shoes and white thighhigh stockings and had placed the shoes under her bed while she had tossed the stockings onto the dresser opposite the foot of her bed. The remaining reward money was safely stashed inside the bottom right dresser drawer. The blonde was lying on her right side and facing her room door... she was far too tired to even bother to get a double espresso from Capital Coffee.

Diana was glad that she had managed to pay her debt to Janine, who had been amazed to see the money she was owed. She had told Diana that she had honestly expected to never be paid for the bottle of Bonhomie, but the blonde had subverted that expectation by keeping her word. Upon receiving her money Janine expressed gratitude for Diana's generosity and so did Sandra. After a little more conversation Diana parted ways with the duo and went home to sleep after her busy night at Haunted Castle and the walk to Capital Crocus.

Thinking of debts reminded Diana of the apology she owed Juno. The pink-haired young woman had greeted Diana as a friend and the blonde had repaid her by abruptly leaving without even having the courtesy to leave behind a thank-you note for her hostess. Diana was going to return to the space station soon and apologize to Juno for her behavior. She owed the latter that much, but she was not sure if Juno would be willing to listen to anything she had to say.

Diana would find out the next time she used the Infinity Improbability Chronometer.

[Post Word Count: 894]
[Total Word Count: 10,132/10,000]

-Diana's Townhouse, Diana's Bedroom, 7:11 P.M.-

Diana had been lying on her bed for the past few hours without going to sleep, but she was not too bothered by that. She had just wanted to get off of her feet after a busy night and a long day. The blonde took a quiet breath and rolled over to face her bedroom window, which had curtains covering it that always stayed closed because having sunlight in her room had no special appeal to her. Diana liked for her room to be dark when she was lying down because it made her feel comfortable and comfort was what she was seeking right now.

After rolling over to face the window Diana continued to lie on her bed in silence. She thought about meeting Juno and how kind the pink-haired young woman had been to her during their brief time together. She also thought about her family and how her mother and Melody had played a hand in making her the emotional mess she was today. Diana could not stand to be touched for any reason and her emotions were hidden behind a nearly perfect poker face that was the end result of over a decade of practice. The only people who had seen the "real" Diana were her sister Lucia and Medeia the Warlord.

Diana took another quiet breath. It was all she could do not to rush to her dresser, grab the Infinite Improbability Chronometer, and go to the space station to apologize to Juno for how she had left without notice. The pink-haired young woman might be upset with Diana because she probably believed that the blonde had suddenly left because the latter considered her hostess to be annoying for asking so many questions. That was not the truth, but without a note to tell Juno that the other young woman had no way of knowing exactly why Diana had departed without giving any notice.

The blonde would go back to space soon. If she were given the chance she would try to treat Juno as a human rather than treating her as a talking piece of scenery to be tolerated. Maybe it was already too late and Diana had turned the pink-haired young woman into an enemy, but if she could give Amber and Angela a second chance despite how annoying they had been at first she owed Juno the same courtesy. Diana would dig out the Infinite Improbability Chronometer and go back to the space station in the next day or two, but for today she would just stay at home and lie on her bed.

[Post Word Count: 438]
[Total Word Count: 10,570/10,000]