[center][h1][color=silver]Steph (solo post)[/color][/h1][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5116665][img]https://i.imgur.com/aGEu1iP.png[/img][/url][/center][hr]
As the weight of the large image's words finally sank in, Stephanie felt her heart sink in her chest.

[i][color=gold]She's keeping the ship hostage![/color][/i]

That thought alone had her sweating. Mission failure leading to punishment, possibly even exile if her employers were found out afterwards. That would be too much to bear.

She looked up at the lady taruva again. The massive woman was in a lounging position, though she really sat on nothing. Just a projection, then. The taruva gazed lazily at the [i]Fornacis[/i], not really paying attention to the island itself.

Steph looked all around her. Her traveling group was nowhere to be seen–only a stray cat on the street she was on. A mote of panic struck her before a single thought rose in her mind.

[i][color=gold]I can make use of this situation![/color][/i]

She just had to get to the top of the mountain. Yes, islands like Lucidia were known for having monsters in their untamed wilderness, but thankfully Steph had the foresight to take her twin swords with her off the ship when the crew had disembarked. They were currently wrapped up in a canvas cloth alongside a single broom hanging off a strap on her back. Steph ducked into an alleyway, made sure nobody was watching, then undid the tie and revealed her weapons. She strapped the scabbards to her belt. Their weight provided a familiar comfort she didn't know she needed.

Equipment. She had her swords, some dried rations she'd brought onto the [i]Fornacis[/i], a fire-starting kit, and a mop.

She set the mop carefully against the alleyway wall. The space was silent, save for the caws of a passing crow overhead.

[color=gold]"Thank you for your service. I am sorry to leave you behind, but your presence would only slow me down. May you find good ownership and careful polish for the rest of your years,"[/color] she whispered to it.

The mop continued its silence. Steph turned away and began to walk to the northern side of the town. She had to leave it before she started getting sentimental.

[color=gold][i]I can likely travel through the forest faster than anyone else. I'll need breaks every now and then... I can hunt food... rest at...[/i][/color]

She estimated a travel time of a little over three days. Maybe less, if she didn't run into much trouble. Even though she had gone through the hardest magic training in the world, Steph still had her limits. She couldn't go at top speed the entire time–she at least needed to keep some energy in reserve for emergencies.

[color=gold][i]It'll be good to get some exercise in. These past few days have been rough. Nothing to do but clean floors and listen into conversations. I don't think anyone suspects me so far, thankfully.[/i][/color]

Steph reached the town outskirts, then uttered a quiet curse. She really was getting so vulgar these days.

[color=gold][i]Stupid! You forgot to remain stealthy! What if someone saw you just strolling about in broad daylight with your swords on your hips?[/i][/color]

She looked around. There were a few people around, but most seemed to pay little attention to her. Thank goodness. She breathed a sigh of relief, then jogged forward into the forest. There was an almost immediate difference from the well-maintained cobbles in town. Tangled roots and high trees greeted her at every juncture. It would be incredibly easy to get lost.

Thankfully, though, Steph would not get lost–not when she had her magic. As soon as she was out of sight of the town, she took a deep breath and activated her Pyxis. A swirl of ethereal golden chains coiled around her person, casting a slight light on the undergrowth around her.

[color=gold][i]Hello, old friend. I'll be relying on you from now on.[/i][/color]

She [color=gold][b]chained[/b][/color] herself to a branch high above, then shot away into the forest.

[hr][center][color=silver][h3]FOUR HOURS LATER[/h3][/color][/center]
This. This was what being Special Inquisitor was all about.

Steph couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she soared through the trees. The grassy earth blurred beneath her as she [color=gold][b]chained[/b][/color] herself from branch to branch. [color=gold][b]Chain[/b][/color], swing, [color=gold][b]chain[/b][/color], repeat. Each successive swing brought her closer and closer to her goal–the grey mountain ahead.

Still, it [i]was[/i] starting to get dark. Steph landed atop a tree slightly taller than its leafy brethren. She gazed out across the forest, just taking it all in. The sun was starting to set on Lucidia, casting an orange-juice glow through a sky dotted by cotton-candy clouds. In the far distance, Steph could just barely make out the cookie-crumb roofs of the town.

Okay, so maybe she needed to eat. Thankfully, she had received some semblance of survival training. 

She breathed out slowly, then focused her attention on her surroundings. Meat would be good. She would need to eat it fast, however. Wouldn't want too much trouble arising.

There. A slightly larger cat-like creature. Two golden eyes glowing slightly in the darkness down below the tree. She could barely make out some dark brown fur. It was about the size of a large wolf. Excellent. Steph didn't know its actual name–she hadn't studied biology, after all–but she did know that it was alive and healthy. She drew her swords carefully. Their sharpened blades scraped slightly against their containers.

The cat-thing didn't seem to notice her. She leaned slightly over the branches of the tree, [color=gold][b]chained[/b][/color] herself to a point on its trunk halfway between her and the ground, then kicked off gently from her perch.

She didn't pull herself closer with the chain. Instead, she used it as a rotational axis to redirect her momentum. The rush of wind blew her hair past her face as she plummeted towards the ground, then swung inwards towards the cat-thing.

Unfortunately, she was slightly off the mark. The cat-thing stretched forward right as Steph's outstretched blades made a swing for its neck. The steel still bit into its fur, but the cut was far shallower than she'd anticipated. The cat-thing screeched and jumped forward, alert. Steph landed gracefully on the forest floor behind it.

It was... a lot darker down here than atop the tree. She shivered. A few drops of monster blood dripped off her swords onto the mosses underfoot. The cat-thing turned around, saw its aggressor, then made to flee. It turned tail and dashed away into the trees.

[color=gold][i]Not today, kitty.[/i][/color]

Steph [color=gold][b]locked[/b][/color] the cat-thing onto a nearby tree. A golden chain snapped into existence before wrapping itself around the cat thing and grounding it to a halt. Two more locks. Two more chains. It was fully immobilized now. Steph walked slowly towards the cat-thing. It screeched again, this time a howl of desperation as it realized its inevitable death had been brought closer by the attacker behind it. It bit at its restraints, but to no avail. Its sharp teeth could find no purchase on her magic.

Steph didn't miss the second time.