Bobbie
``` Another quest here ```

*Various reports have been filed throughout the nearby towns and cities of a criminal who had just escaped an escort caravan to a maximum security prison on the border between the Salvainian and the Silnarian empire. A gold bounty has been placed on either his head or his capture, a reward that exceeds normal expectations. Because this prisoner was one of the most dangerous of his time, hailing from the Icy peaks of Icepeak prison, government officials and citizens alike have been shook, due to tje fact that such a malevolent and dangerous being has escaped his shackles.*

*Unshaken in his plight, he was known throughout the land as "Styx."*

*A Silnarian Steppe Elf who had been illegally transferred to the Salvainian Empire die to his heinous crimes pertaining to the treatment of the mass majority of the population before authorities could apprehend him, he had been living in the Salvainian Empire for a good while now, terrorizing small villages and towns, murdering masses upon masses of innocent bystanders so that his name became synonymous with pure, unadultured malevolence. He was swift in his job, indifferent about the kill, for he lived for the sight of crimson rivers, the flesh of the bone, the bone of bodies. Feared by both the criminal underworld and those of civilized society, there seemed to be no stopping him until government officials captured his person by setting a trap in one of the predicted areas he would target next, judging by past actions. His exact killcount was unknown, but he was generous enough to say that it was more than they could ever possibly imagine. Naturally, he ended up on trial, being sentenced to death. He spent 2 years in Icepeak Prison, and had a caravan appointed to send him to Fort Kah'Rentok, a fort on the edge of the Silnari-Salvainian border, where he would face his death by execution amongst other heinous criminals. However, it would seem that somewhere along the territorial line, the caravan was attacked, leaving bodies of guards, and oddly enough, some bandits, in the wreck. It was apparent that he couldn't have gotten far, and so you two, Mai and Horace, have decided to bring him to justice.*
Timothy
Assuming the two would meet at the location where the caravan was attacked, Mai arrived at the scene of the incident with a feeling of foreboding. The woman didn't yet know who her companion or companions would be on this mission, so she didn't knew what to expect from him. What would surprise her would be the fact that it was Horace, the man who did a mission with her and Kaliepos some time ago.

Upon arriving at the scene of the incident, Mai looked around to make sure there were no bandits or suspicious movements around her. She would have on her white cloak, draped over just her left shoulder, her blue hair in a ponytail and draped over her shoulder as well. She decided to wait for her mission companion to arrive before she investigated or searched for the killer alone. Her cold blue eyes scanned the area around her, patiently waiting for the person who was about to arrive.
Susan
Horace approached the scene, holding his arm. It would seem he's still soar from the last mission's injury. He looks over at Mai with a grin, "Well, didn't think id see you again so soon." He draws near, extending his hand as a greeting. He tried to appear calm, but underneath his normal appearance he was nervous about the mission, *"Never thought id be going after Styx, the infamous murderer. I guess big rewards warrant big risks."* He sighs, hoping that by some miracle, the two of them can take him down without casualties. "So Mai, how are you?"
Timothy
Upon hearing a familiar voice, Mai immediately looked to see where it came from. *'Is that... Horace?!'* She thought, and a slightly surprised expression appeared on her face. But then her eyes were cold again and a smile in the corner of her mouth formed for the man. Sometimes the world really is small, apparently. She knew about Horace's ability, but she was still concerned about him and herself. She once hunted down a killer, but he was probably not like Styx. She knew it would be a complicated job, but she trusted Horace a little and knew that they could handle it.

"Horace! I didn't think I'd see you this soon too, but here we are."

She reached out a hand to shake Horace's and squeezed it gently. She looked a little at the man's posture, it seemed that he had not fully recovered from the last mission. One of her eyebrows arched and looked him in the eye again.

"I'm good. Seems you're not fully recovered yet, uh? Stay tuned, or you may end up hurting yourself more. Eh... I mean, I don't want you to get hurt."
Susan
Horace chuckles to himself at your remarks, "Thank you for your concern, but ill be fine." Or at least he hoped. He looks at the wreckage examining it, making mental notes as he looked. "Hard to believe something like this could happen. He obviously had outside help judging by the bandit corpses." He walked over examining the guards and bandits bodies, he didn't know what he was looking for, just something that could help track the man.
Timothy
"I know you will be fine, I'm just saying."

She winked at him, a smirk forming on her lips. Mai accompanied him to the bodies, her eyes analyzing to see if there was anything suspicious, which apparently was not. Using Mai's improved vision, she tried to identify if the man could be in the vicinity. After checking to see if he was close to Mai and Horace, she went back to looking at the bodies and the wreck.

"I have a feeling that this mission will be difficult..."
Susan
"Difficult...? Try impossible, this guy's been on the run killing, maiming, and terrorizing the kingdom for who knows how long... Say, your a panther, right? Could you like... Smell around and try to get this guys scent or something?" You could tell by the sound of the elf's voice that he was embarrassed about the statement for its stupidity. He clears his throat, standing from his kneeled position over the corpses.
Timothy
"Impossible... It could be. But I still think we are able to capture him."

Mai smiled at Horace, who looked a little embarrassed after his question. She didn't care much about the question, it didn't bother her but apparently Horace didn't want to be rude or stupid. Then she nodded, with a small smile on her lips. In fact, she could turn into a panther and try to sniff out the fugitive. She was a little embarrassed, because if she transformed, her clothes were not enchanted to mold her into a panther and would drop to the ground.

"Ehhh... I can transform, but you will need to do something for me... My clothes will drop to the ground and I need you to pick them up so I can put them on after I transform back into my human form. And if I show any sign that I managed to sniff him out, you'll need to ride me. So it will be faster to chase him."
Susan
Horace froze for a moment, seemingly picturing something with a grin on his face before snapping out of it. "O-oh, yeah, sure thing. Should i turn around... Or?" He takes a few steps back, waiting for you to go on. He waits in anticipation for the transformation.
Timothy
Mai looked at Horace when the grin appeared on his lips, but she then shook her head a little, a smirk appearing on her lips as well. This seemed strange, since Mai already knew the man, but she was already used to situations and reactions like Horace's.

"You don't need to turn around. Just don't forget my clothes."

Mai waited a moment to focus on her ability. After a few seconds, she began to transform into a black panther with a length of 2.20m from nose to tail. She looked focused, her eyes shining light blue as she started sniffing for the enemy, hoping to succeed.
```Panther Transformation cast (-11.5 Mana) - Mana Remaining: 88.5/100
Mai has Hawkeye Rank 5, Listener Rank 1, Blurry and Silent Rank 2 activated. And well, has the traits of a black panther.```
Bobbie
*As Mai transformed into her panther form, her clothes would, as she said, drop to the floor, leaving nothing behind but a huge, menacing predator with eyes as sharp as a blade. When she sniffed into the night, various scents would come to her nose, but the one most dominant would be the smell of corpses and blood which was a given; the bodies were right next to you, after all. There were some snippets of other scents here and there as well, such as the smell of metal, coming from the weapons the bandits and guards left behind, the scent of wet grass, seeing that you were in a grassy plain, and the faint smell of a forest a good ways off.*

*However, soon a new scent would come into play, masked by all the others. This smell had the scent of dirt, the feeling and aura of something evil hiding behind the other aromas. It would lead into the direction of the southeast, away from the Silnarian Empire, towards a small town called Kladingir. It was faint, so it was only a general direction, but it would seem that something had either come from that direction, or was heading towards that place.*
Susan
Horace would scramble to collect Mai's clothes. "So, you get a scent or?" He would approach the panther, though his movement is stiff, as he is intimidated by the beast. He continues on despite this though, avoiding eye contact with the animal.
Timothy
Mai started walking as she sniffed the floor and the air around her and Horace. With many smells, she was a little confused for a short time but soon identified a new smell, a smell that brought a bad feeling. A smell that made her shiver, the feeling she had when she arrived, returning to her. 

She finally identified the smell of death and evil, but did not know the right place to go. She looked at Horace, walking behind him and passing between his legs, making him on top of her back now. Mai waited a moment for him to hold on to her. When he was finally ready, she started running towards the smell, not so fast as not to waste so much energy, but fast enough to try to get there in time without the killer running away.
```Forgot to mention: Mai has Night Vision Rank 1```
Bobbie
*Running towards the direction of the smell, you would pass numerous plains of grass, not being able to see much because of the dark atmosphere. After all, it was quite late into the night; the moon was shining softly in the sky, casting a tiny shimmer across the land. You wouldn't be able to see more than 180 feet into the area around you, but that didn't matter, as Mai had the natural sense of smell on her side. The scent she had picked up would grow stronger and stronger, albeit by small amounts, as she continued her sprint down to the southeast. More and more smells would be thrust into her nose as she ran; the smell of a dead animal, the tiny trail of smoke from a torch lit ablaze somewhere, carried off by the wind into the vast expanse of the wilderness, the natural smell of wood on trees as you passed a couple of small patches of forestry. There would be passing caravan carts following the road that the escort had taken, but that was a long ways off from the original point in which you two met up. It would take a good amount of time before the pair of you two came across something noteworthy; 4 turns had already passed.*

*At this point, Mai, due to her enhanced night vision, would be able to notice small balls of light in the distance; they were small, and almost unnoticeable to the naked human eye, but being a panther, she noticed them well enough. If you continued to follow your current path, you would be able to come across the town of Kladingir, the scent of Styx growing stronger and stronger as you made your way through the numerous dark horizons the night presented. Styx's scent would become more defined at this point, almost completely dominating Mai's nose from all other scents, almost as if it were making itself deliberately try and become known to all. It smelled like blood and corpses, along with that scent of rusted chains tied down to flesh. This scent was the scent of a cruel murderer, but paired along with that scent was almost the smell of a normal person. It would seem that Styx was almost able to blend in with the nighttime activity of the townspeople, assuming they were still out and about at this time, and a panther would definitely not be welcome inside the village.*
Susan
Horace unable to see very far would speak a short incantation ``Dark Sight (10 mana used, 90 remaining)``. Glancing around and realizing we were soon to reach a town, he would speak "Alright, that's good enough i think, you can change back into your human form, wouldn't want to scare the villagers." He pats the side of the creature, expecting her to slow down. He would dismount the panther putting Mai's clothes on her back, expecting her to go behind a tree to revert, turning around himself. "Take your time, i wont peak."
Timothy
Mai followed the scent until she got close to the village, lowering her speed until they were in a forest near the village. She stopped and looked at Horace, making a sound similar to what cats do trying to agree with him. She walked to a tree near them and started to change back to her human form. When she returned to her normal form, she started putting her clothes back on, first her top, then her bottom and then her gloves and thigh accessory. If Horace happened to peak, it would only be possible for him to see a part of Mai's silhouette illuminated by the moon, forming a shadow of it.

Mai then stepped out from behind the tree, her blue hair tied in a ponytail draped over her shoulder, perfectly matching Mai's pale blue eyes, lit by the moonlight. The black boots that reached to the bottom of Mai's thighs, matching the thigh accessory she kept on her right leg. Well, there's no time for fashion here, first we need to catch the killer. One of her hands gripped her waist as she thought a bit and put on her white cloak. She arched an eyebrow as she asked the man.

"Let's go?"