"Is... that a snake?" The Governor's voice shifted from commanding to intimidated in an instant.

"His name is Pierce," Narrita said jokingly. She brushed the back of Pierce's neck with her hand. "Don't worry. He doesn't bite. Unless I tell him to."

The Governor shivered as she turned around to face the front of the group. The natural light of the moon started to become visible through a small opening towards the end of the cavern. "I knew you would be able to help guide us out," Miwah said.

"We're not quite out of the caves yet, lass. Don't forget about what we're talking about earlier," she whispered.

"Oh, that is true. At least we still have Narrita and Pierce to help us out." Both the seamstress and the hunter turned their heads over their shoulders to look at the back of the group. As the moonlight intensified, they could slowly see Pierce fade away like a dying flame. \

"Pierce!" Narrita said in exasperation. She stretched her hand forward to pet his head one last time, only for her fingers to slip right through. The bandit stared at her empty fingers as her Ensemble switched back to her previous attire. There was genuine sorrow in her eyes as she stood in the place where Pierce was just moments ago.

"Perhaps I spoke too soon," Miwah whispered to the hunter.

"Don't worry, he'll be back," Yalch said. "Next time you transform, he'll be by your side again."

"How long will that take?"

"About half a day, give or take."

Narrita crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine. I guess I can wait that long. But I barely even got to talk to him."

"The stronger you get, the longer you'll be able to stay in your Purifier form. It's an incentive to keep your kind practicing!"

The bandit groaned again as she took her dagger out of it sheath. "That means I can't just summon him for a little conversation. I have to wait until my life's in danger just to see him!"

"Would you rather he be buried?" Miwah asked.

"Don't start with me."

"Apologies, Narrita. I just simply could not resist—" Tamma's hand stopped Miwah midsentence.

"You hear that?" the hunter whispered.

"You want me to be listening to something?" the Governor asked aloud. Tamma turned around and made a shush sound with her lips. Everyone gathered close to Tamma's side. Together, they loomed over a steep incline that led to a large pit with a small exit at the very bottom. Despite the moonlight that poured in through the opening, the finer details of what was at the bottom of the slope was obscured by the shadows cast by the stone formations. The group held their breath in unison as they tuned in with their ears.

There was a long and unified buzzing coming from the space below. Along with that was a sickening sound of crunching and slurping, as if something was consuming rotten flesh. The Governor gasped as she took a step back from the disgusting noises.

"What is that?" she exclaimed while keeping her voice barely above a whisper.

"That's probably the Insectus that we told you about earlier!" Tamma said in a just as sharp and quiet manner as the Governor.

"What? I don't remember anyone telling me anything about some... killer bugs!"

"We did!" Miwah replied angered. "Me. Alson. Tamma. Chaston. We were all there. But you did not want to send an emergency correspondence!"

The embarrassment of the Governor's face was more than visible in the pale moonlight. The heftier woman took a few more steps back, bumping into a wall before sliding her back down it. "Oh dear," she said to herself.

"'Oh dear' is right," Tamma said mockingly. "But to be fair, I don't think the reinforcements from Remcroft would have gotten here in time to deal with the Ghenkans. But fortunately for you, we took it upon ourselves to deal with this threat." The hunter reached into one of the pouches of her her belt and pulled out two of the Spell Stones. She handed one to Miwah and held one tight in her hand. "Are you ready, Miwah?"

"Yes," the seamstress said with a nod.

"Wait up," Alson said as he placed a hand on Tamma's shoulder. "What do you plan on doing?"

Tamma opened her palm and showed the guard the green crystal. "It's a Spell Stone. An anti-insect one. Sounds like there's some larva and maybe a few hatchlings down there. Me and Miwah are going to head down and try to take out as many as we can with these things. Hopefully that'll stop them from spreading any further."

"Think that will take out the queen, too?" Alson said, his eyes widening with excitement.

To Alson's dismay, the hunter shook her head. "We already asked the witch that made these that. She said that she doubts it would be enough to kill something that powerful."

"Damn."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I know. We'll have to deal with it the old-fashioned way. But at least with these, we don't have to worry about anymore animals getting infected."

The guard took hold of Tamma's hand and pulled the stone out. "Alson..." Tamma said confused. "What are you doing?"

He looked over at Miwah and snatched the stone from her hand as well. "Hey!" the seamstress protested.

Alson took a deep breath and looked down into the stone enclosure below. "I'll clear out the nest."

"Don't be ridiculous, Alson," Tamma said. She placed a hand on the guard's wrist, trying to pry the magical gems free from his clutches. "Gertrude gave them to us so that we can take out the weaker Insectus."

"That's what I figured. But can you even access your Purifier abilities? I heard that Narrita won't be able to transform for half a day. I know you had to have plenty of Ghenkans and Cutthroats to come this far. So something tells me that you won't be able to protect yourself in case things get dangerous now that you've used up your powers."

"But that doesn't mean that you have to put yourself in harm's danger," Tamma said softly. "Just ask Miwah or Narrita. We managed to take out our fair share of Ghenkans without being Purifiers."

Alson bowed his head. He took the two stones and stashed them away in a pouch fastened to his belt. "We already lost Chaston because of me. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you as well." He took a few steps down one of the slopes leading to the lower portion of the cave until Tamma grabbed his shoulder.

"I'm not going to lose you too, Alson," Tamma said. She turned him around and stared deeply into his eyes. The guard's face turned a bright red as his gaze shied away from the hunter. "At least let us go with you. I know it's your job as a member of the Farrowport Guard to do whatever it takes to make sure that this island's people are safe, but the same can be said about us Purifiers. We wouldn't' be doing our job if we just let you go down there by yourself."

"I don't care who goes and who stays!" the Governor barked. "Just as long as someone gets rid of those nasty creatures from my island! The sooner they're exterminated, the sooner we can leave this nasty cave!"

"Looks like your boss is getting impatient," an annoyed Tamma whispered to Alson.

"She's always like that."

"I have a plan," Miwah said as she positioned herself next to Tamma. "The three of us will head down. Tamma and I will provide back-up for you. Narrita stays here to make sure the Governor and Daego make it out safe and that Gertrude is able to get out of the estate. How does that sound?"

"I'm fine with it," Narrita said while leaning against the cave wall with her arms crossed.

"And what about me?" Daego asked. "I'm not just going to sit around either. At least let me come along and—"

Miwah, Tamma and Alson all shook their hands. "No. We don't need this many people putting themselves in danger," Tamma replied.

"Besides, you've got a terrible sense of direction. And we only have two Spell Stones. No offense, but I think you'd be more of hinderance than a help," Alson said. "The more survivors, the better. You can do a lot more by helping those that are wounded once you return back to town."

Disgruntled, Daego turned around and took a spot next to Narrita on the cave's wall. Perturbed, the Governor tapped her foot as she pointed towards the floor. "Now that everyone knows their roles, are you going to start taking care of the bugs? Please, I just want this day to be over with! It's cold... smells terrible... and... there's Ghenkans... all over the island..." The woman started to breathe in deeply and clutch her heart until Daego took her by the arm to calm her down.

"Come on," Alson said as he took the first step down the slope. "I don't think she can keep moving much longer. Her anxiety is known to get the best of her."

"I'll be honest with you," Tamma whispered. "Now I'm just looking for a reason to get away from her bickering."

The guard grinned, scratching the back of his neck as he turned away from looking straight into Tamma's dark brown eyes. "Right," he said with some hesitation. "Let's get going then." The guard started down the steep stone slope. The surface was sticky, making his boot latch to the ground with each step he took.

"Gross," Tamma said with disgust as her steps were slowed by the grimy substance that coated the ground. "This must be where the Insectus has been breeding. No other reason for there to be..." The hunter lifted her foot and looked down to see some yellow goop stretched between the bottom of her boot and the ground. "Whatever this substance is."

"Try not to fall down then," Miwah said as she kept her arms spread apart to keep her balance. "I dare not imagine how hard it would be to get that out of your clothing."

"Thanks for the thought." Alson traveled down at a steady pace, soon reaching the bottom of the slope. Once on the lower level, the angle of the moonlight that crept into the cave gave enough light to make the intricate work of the Insectus hive apparent. Plastered all against the floor, walls and the underside of the higher stone formations were countless white sacs. They pulsated with the larva inside visibly squirming through the semi-transparent material.

They were all bound together by yellow, hive-like structure that kept the infantile bugs organized into clusters. Along the ground, a small horde of maggots crawled around, feasting on a large lump of indiscernible meat. Miwah and Tamma turned their heads away while Alson froze in place.

"I need to take a bath just looking at it," Miwah said with disgust.

"I feel like they're crawling all over my body already," Tamma said as she gagged.

"Think I'm clear to use one of these?" Alson said as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a Spell Stone.

"Please! Use it!" Tamma said as she kept one eye on the colony.

"Do I just... throw it?" Alson said while eyeing the small crystal.

"Once it breaks, it will emit a gas that will kill any insect that it comes in contact with," Miwah said.

"Here it goes!" Alson raised the Spell Stone with one hand high above his hand. With all his might, he threw it against the ground. The stone burst into countless bits on impact and a dark green gas started to spread like a cloud. The bugs all started to squirm as they made an ear-wrenching hiss. The maggots started to shrivel up while the sacs attached to the walls and ceilings started to fall and splatter against the ground. All three started to wheeze as the mist expanded into a thick fog that covered the entire room.

"Gah! What's in that Spell Stone?" Alson said as he pinched his nose tight.

"Something effective!" Miwah replied while doing the same. "It seems to be working!"

As soon as the gas expanded, it dissipated, leaving behind a floor covered in shriveled maggot carcasses and empty hives. All three hesitantly took their hands form their noses and took in a few breaths through their nostrils.

"I don't smell anything," Alson said.

"That means the magic must have worn off," Miwah replied.

"Chaston wasn't lying when he said Gertrude was a talented witch," Tamma said as she surveyed the destruction. "That must have been the most effective Spell Stone I've ever seen. Did exactly as expected. And just like that!" The hunter snapped her fingers.

"Is that it then? Are we clear to finally leave?" Alson asked as he kicked a sac that fell on his boot off.

All three stood in silence. A steady buzz came from the far end of cave. "I don't think so, lad. Sounds like there's a few more mature ones just down that way."

Alson held the other Spell Stone in between his pointer finger and thumb and showed it to the two girls. "Let's go ahead and end this then."