The sun beamed through the partially clouded sky that loomed over the town of magnolia. Yet another day had arrived and the blonde female had once again, set out to try her best to help people. Of course, there wasn't much that was being done by her but she was getting there, slowly but surely. A nostalgic feeling hit her as her eyes wandered around, in-taking the breathtaking beauty of the East Forest. She thought that no matter how many times she entered this vegetation adorned vicinity, she could possibly never get enough of its magnificence. Xandra strolled through the forest, a piece of paper clutched in one hand while her other hand grasped the parcel which contained food. For once, she made sure to eat something before setting out on the mission and thank god, she did because the aroma of the delicacies which were covered with a bright blue linen cloth assaulted her nose with no intention of stopping. Shaking her head slightly, she glanced upon the paper once again. Her destination had got to be here somewhere, she thought to herself.

That morning, she had received a request by one of the town's most well known celebrities, a man names Khalash Saton requesting her to meet up with him. It was obvious that the young female thought of it as suspicious but when she had reached the small, old man's house, he had explained that he had a previous appointment that day and wanted a trusted mage, which happened to be Xandra, a Rune Knight, to deliver his homemade food to the residence of the old hermit, and of course, bring back some herbs. That was why she once again ventured into the forest with contentment to find her way back out. Her eyes wandered around as she assumed that she was far into the vegetation to spot the house of the hermit that lived all alone, in the midst of animals, in this magnificent woodland. She too would have lived like this if she wasn't so bad with directions, or if she didn't have a goal that she wanted to accomplish.

It was then that her sight was set upon a large tree that looked similar to others, despite it's abnormal size. Sauntering over, she walked around the tree only to find a door situated on the other side. This was it; this was her destination, she was sure of it. Shoving the piece of paper within her pocket, she stood in front of the door and raised her hand before slightly colliding her knuckled against the wooden door. The small sound echoed through the silent area which was warped in tranquility. It was uneasy to say the least. Moments past and nothing was heard from beyond the door. Instead, silence had loomed for so long, not a single voice was audible. It was unsettling. Xandra could feel her heart hammer in her chest as let out a deep sigh, wondering if she had truly gotten the right address. The suspense built up so quickly and anxiously waited for the door to open. The female gave it another shot. raising her hand once again, she knocked thrice. Yet again, silence was the only survivor. This were beginning to get weird, or so she thought. As her gaze was fixated on the door that remained dormant, her ears carefully listened for a sign of life. Her clasp on the parcel tightened.

It was rather sudden that the door swung open. Her eyes momentarily widened as she jumped back as quickly as she could, letting her body stiff up and move if needed. Her gaze was on the door, where stood no one. It was as if it had been opened by thin air but there wasn't any sign of a breeze. A small, suppressed laugh then caught her ears causing her gaze to travel downwards, which ultimately landed upon a small man, the hermit. He stood there with a mischievous smile, laughing at the prank he pulled on the female. "Hehe, scared ya, didn't I?" Once realizing that it was indeed just a plan as the sounds had returned to the woods, she let her shoulders sag and her body relax. All she did was give a small nod to the man with an expressionless face, "Oh c'mon lad, no need to be so serious~" The old man said with a chuckle as she began walking into the tree, "Come on in!"

Obeying the elderly hermit, she stepped past that door and walked into what she could only describe is paradise. Her gaze softened as she had fallen in love with the place. It was nothing special, just a small and comfortable house inside a tree. Books adorned the shelves as the seating arrangement stood out. Gesturing towards the couch, the old hermit proceeded to ask if she would like to have something to drink. "Oh no, I'm actually here to make a delivery. Mr. Khalash asked me to deliver this food to you and take the herbs back to him." A grin fell upon the old hermit's face, "I see, that old man paying a young girl to do his work. That is so like him." He let out a laugh. Xandra passed him the parcel of food, which he immediately opened. "Ahh, this smells amazing. Food is possibly the best thing on this planet, wouldn't you agree?" he asked as she nodded because she couldn't agree more. It was mere moments later that she found herself digging into the food that the old hermit had offered. It seemed that he had assumed that she wasn't much of a talker and instead just rambled on about the food and the forest, enlightening her with the stories of his friendship with her client.

The morning set into evening and it was time for the female to leave. She bowed lightly, taking the basket of various herbs that were to be delivered back. With a quiet goodbye, she was about to leave as she was stopped, "Oh, take this, young lady. Be sure to chew on it as you walk back. It's quite good" She stared at the odd licorice stick that was put in her hand. With a small nod and a slight bow, she ventured back into the woods to return. As she walked, Xandra looked upon the licorice stick, bringing it up to her nose and sniffing it. She had no idea what she would accomplish by that but did so nonetheless before hesitantly putting it between her teeth to chew it. As she chewed on it, she felt a surge of energy through her body. "Hmmm, this is good." She murmured to herself as she continued chewing and headed back towards Khalash's shop where she would collect her reward after dropping the herbs off.

[Word Count: 1140/1000]