"What's taking those two so long?" Narrita said as she stuck her head out from the cover of the stone protrusion of the cave. Ghenkans continued to clash with the Queen, with the barbarians slowly losing ground as they retreated towards their ship. "If they don't hurry up, they'll be overrun by the survivors!"

"Look, here comes Yalch!" The seamstress pointed at the small ghost as he hovered closer. "What news do you bring?"

"Some bad news," the ghost said with disappointment. "The cannon isn't working."

Narrita smacked herself in the forehead with her hand. "Why did I expect anything different?"

"Ghenkans are not known for their gentleness. That cannon is as much a work of art as it is a weapon. I am surprised that they managed to fire off a single shot!" Miwah said.

"Tamma had an idea. She suggested we could try bringing the Queen to the cannon instead. The ammunition is still there."

Narrita pressed a finger against her temple. "Right, I remember Eijnar being worried about that. He said if I wasn't careful, I could have blown the entire boat up by handling those cannonballs wrong."

Miwah took a step past the stone cover and continued to watch the battle unfold. With the Ghenkan's numbers smaller, they began a full retreat. Two of their shipmates stood at the bottom of the boarding platform, waving at the men to tell them to hurry back on board.

At the top of the deck, more fighting ensued. Two figures scrimmaged in the distance; one was nearly twice the size as the other. The larger combatant swung his sword down, only for it to stop short in front of the other, with the smaller figure standing up straight despite the blow.

"I think I see Aurrie on the boat!" Miwah called out. "Looks like she is fighting someone!"

Narrita stood next to Miwah and squinted her eyes towards the boat as she placed her hands over her eyes. "Hey... it looks like Tamma’s up there too!"

"I don't know if Tamma and Aurrie can take on all the Ghenkans at once!" Yalch said with worry as he faced the ship. "Maybe all four of you should regroup!"

"It's better than waiting around for some artillery fire that's never going to happen!" Narrita put her thumb and pointer finger to her lips and made a sharp whistle. Pierce perked up upon hearing the noise and started to follow the bandit as she sprinted towards the boat. "Let's get all of our enemies in one place!"

Miwah hesitated, focusing on the Queen as she jogged behind Narrita. A few of the remaining Ghenkans turned their heads away from the Insects to point at her and Narrita instead. The next moment, all the retreating Ghenkans were aware of the two Purifiers and turned their attention to them instead of the boat.

"Did you take getting noticed into consideration, Narrita?" Miwah shouted as she ran by the bandit's side. The Ghenkans started to convene in front of the boarding platform and began to barricade it with their bodies.

"Yes. And no." Narrita said in between breaths. "I was at least hoping that we could beat them to the boat!"

"You'll have to fight your way through!" Yalch said.

"Fine then," Miwah said as she readied her blade. Her jog turned into a swift dash as she lowered her body with Liberator at her side. As she approached the men guarding the boat, one of the Ghenkans advanced a few steps. He had a frenzied look on his face; an eerie blend of both anger and pleasure as he pointed his spear forwards. He opened his mouth wide like a crazed animal, thrusting the metal tip in Miwah's direction.

"Just go in, Miwah!" Narrita shouted once they were within fighting distance. "Pierce and I will have your back."

The seamstress dove forward. At the same time, the spearman stabbed at the Purifier, missing her body by inches, only to stab the sand instead. Liberator slashed at the man's calf, making him fall on his knee as he screamed in anguish. Miwah then stood upright and ended the barbarian with a backhanded slash to his exposed chest.

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

The remaining Ghenkans all scrambled forward with their weapons pointed at the seamstress. She took a step back, placing her weapon's blade in front of her body to defend, only for the barbarians to start slashing away. Miwah deflected the swing of one sword only for two more Ghenkans to advance even closer.

"Get down, Miwah!"

The seamstress ducked as soon as she heard Narrita's words. A green mist spewed over her head, coating the Ghenkans in a thin film of acid. They all let out a tormented cries as they dropped their weapons so their hands could grasp at the acid on their face. All the attackers turned around and fled for the water behind them.

"I thought you told Yalch that you would never use that spell on people again," Miwah said as she stood upright.

"You'd rather have been diced up?" Narrita said as she continued past Miwah and towards the boat.

"Fair point."

"Besides, I didn't use the spell's full power." The bandit pointed at the Ghenkans that Pierce just coated in acid. They were all in the water, groaning as they scrambled to rinse themselves clean of the scolding substance. "Need to save up for the rest of the fighting."

"Good call," Miwah said as she got on the ship. "I am sure the Insectus Queen will take care of them." From the entrance of the hull, the seamstress watched the Queen hover towards the men in the water. By the time she turned to follow Narrita and Pierce further into the boat, she could hear the hissing of the bug as it hacked away at the Ghenkans outside of the ship.

"Do you know how to get to the top of the boat?" Miwah asked the bandit.

"Yeah. We just have to go up these steps!" Narrita ran through the hull with Pierce and Miwah right behind her. Their footsteps echoed through the wooden ship as they stomped up the steps. The closer they got to the steps, the louder the sound of clashing metal became.

"Just take them out!" Eijnar shouted amongst the clanking. "They're only a couple of girls!"

"Sounds like Tamma and Aurrie are able to hold their own," Miwah said as they approached the top of stairs.

"Don’t underestimate Eijnar. You know how desperate cornered animals can be," Narrita said as her head emerged above the deck. Both her and Miwah emerged simultaneously, quickly surveying the scene. Aurrie stood to their left, blocking a series of attacks from an axe wielding Ghenkan. Tamma stood behind her, shooting arrows from behind the housekeeper's protection.

The light arrows hit their targets, but not in any lethal capacity. Arrows pierced their shoulders and legs, only slowing their steady advance as Aurrie and Tamma slowly retreated from the dozen or so Ghenkans that populated the deck.

To their right was Eijnar issuing commands until he noticed Narrita's face emerge from the bottom. His upper body was covered in a thick metal plate with intricate gold trim lining the contours of the armor. He looked at the bandit with genuine sorrow in his eyes.

"Narrita?" the captain moaned. "You're with them?" His eyes then darted to Miwah. His face shifted from sorrow to rage as he clenched his fist and pointed at the seamstress. "You! You killed my men!"

"And now I am here to finish what I started!" Miwah replied. She twirled Liberator in her hand before pointing the tip at the captain.

"I thought my men were thorough when we raided that village of yours! I told them to kill every last person there. I knew I should have done it myself!"

"Too busy fawning over what you stole, eh?" Narrita said as Pierce slithered to her side. He opened his mouth wide, showing his fangs dripping with venom.

"And what of your men, Narrita?" Eijnar said. "They're nowhere to be found! You have no backup!"

The bandit clenched her fist.

"And even if they were still alive, would they even help you?" the captain said with a laugh. "My men told me what happened to them. They were all found, burned like candle sticks in the middle of the Governor's estate! Perhaps you could thank the Cutthroats on my behalf! You and your new friends will be seeing them soon enough!"

"We've been killing Ghenkans all night, Eijnar!" Narrita snapped. "A dozen more won't be a challenge for us!"

"If that's what you need to tell yourself to muster up the courage to fight, then I won't stop you!" Eijnar kept his twisted grin as he tapped his armor with the head of his axe. "I've saved this armor for moments like this! Gave the few pieces we have to my very best men! Made of the best metal in Mesimica and enchanted by their last shaman!"

Tamma fired another arrow, hitting the Ghenkan in duel with Aurrie in the shoulder. He shrugged of the attack, swinging his weapon down as if he was never hit. The blow sent the housekeeper on the ground and knocking Tamma down with her.

"See? It allows us to forgo pain!" Eijnar cackled.

"But it doesn't make you invincible," Narrita said.

"As long as we can get rid of you four, it doesn't need to be!" Eijnar pointed at Miwah and Narrita. Half of the armored Ghenkans on the deck turned to face them. "Now deal with them," he commanded. "But leave those two alive! I want to be the one that kills them myself!"

"What about the other two?" one of the Ghenkans asked as he marched towards Tamma and Aurrie. The housekeeper smashed her sword against her shield while still on the ground, sending the approaching barbarians back a few feet. With Tamma's help, she got back up to her feet, ready to keep fighting.

Eijnar shrugged his shoulders. "Kill them. I've learned my lesson about keeping enemies alive."