Morning came. Narrita lay face down in her bed, one arm dangling off the side of her mattress and scrapping across the charred floor. The room was a disorganized mess with clothing and a large variety of stolen goods laying across the ground. The woman's muscles began to twitch as her head moved from side to. Her eyes clenched tighter while her lips curled, as if she was in the middle of a nightmare.

"S-Stop! Please!" Narrita mumbled. The rest of her limbs moved as if her body was involuntarily matching what she was doing in her dream. "Don't hurt him!"

Horace raced into the room, standing in the doorway as he watched Narrita continue to toss and turn in her bed. She clutched her blankets tight and pressed them against her face. Tears soaked the fabric as her sobbing intensified.

"Narrita!" Horace called out. The woman remained laying on her side, her breathing become more exasperated. Horace darted into the room, stepping over stolen loot to make it to the mattress that lay against the corner. He placed his hands on the Narrita’s shoulders, holding her steady. The woman’s head turned from side to side while her eyes remained shut tight.

"P-Pierce! Please!" she cried out, her sorrow apparent in her voice.

With a firm shake, Horace was able to awaken the woman from her nightmare. Narrita darted upwards, hyperventilating as her eyes fervently jumped around the room before pausing to stare at the man in front of her.

"Horace!" she exclaimed. "Where's Pierce?"

"Come on, Narrita,” Horace said in a soft voice that contradicted his build. “You know as well as I do what happened yesterday."

The woman took a deep breath. She pressed one hand against her forehead. Horace released her shoulders and she then slowly angled her legs off the mattress. "I know, I know. My head still hurts from the spell that Xiwaoan brat hit me with!"

"I think that might be the barrel's worth of alcohol you drank last night."

Narrita gave Horace a pout before standing herself upright. She used one hand to press against the wall while the other was stretched out to help her maintain balance. Horace ran to her side, placing one hand on her back to make sure she didn't fall.

"I-I still can't believe he's gone," Narrita said somberly. She snapped her fingers. "Like that. That's all it took to end his life."

"Those two girls were more powerful than we thought they'd be."

“I can’t stop thinking about it, Horace. That very moment keeps replaying in my mind. All I can think about it what I could have done differently. How I could have saved him.”

“Past is the past. Dwelling too much on that is only gonna make it harder.”

The Cutthroat leader wiped away the remaining bit of tear from her right eye. "She even... took his soul..." Narrita leaned forward, collapsing into Horace's chest. Her crying continued, tears running down Horace's bare skin. The man put his arm around her, gently patting her across the back.

"We'll get even with them. I promise. But for now, we need to make sure Pierce gets put to rest. Properly."

"Is... is his body still around?"

"Yeah. We've got it wrapped up and stashed away in the shed."

"W-What do you think we should do with him?" Narrita asked as she pulled her head away from Horace's chest, looking up at him with soaked, red eyes.

"He was your best friend. I think it's best for you to decide what do with the body."

"Cremation or burial are the best options I suppose."

"Up to you. We can do whatever you want."

Narrita pulled herself away from her fellow Cutthroat. She straightened out the wrinkles in her drenched top and then brushed away the hairs in front of her face that had gotten into disarray. "I have no idea. Never planned for this moment, honestly. I... want to see him. One last time."

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"You sure about that, Narrita? It's not a pretty sight. Don't think you'd want to see Pierce's body."

"I know what happened. I can see the exact moment vividly. But I still want to see him one more time before we send him off."

Horace shrugged his shoulders and took in a deep breath. "All right. You're the boss."

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Both Narrita and Horace made their way through the presumed-abandoned building that they made their home. A multistory building that lay half-in ruin provided shelter for the Cutthroats. Among the collapsed ceilings and crumbling floors, members of the band found shelter, curling up in corners and under parts of the roof that still remained with what rags they could find. Most of the men lay sprawled against the cracked floor, dressed in little more than their underwear. The room reeked of alcohol and vomit, making Narrita turn up her nose as she followed Horace down the stairs to the bottom floor.

After stepping over more unconscious bandits, the pair made their way to the front door. Horace pushed open what was left of the shatter wooden entrance, holding it open for the leader. Narrita stepped outside first, placing one hand over her eyes to shield herself from the immense light that bombarded her eyes.

"Gah! How long have I been out?"

"We left the tavern four hours after closing time. It's probably an hour past noon now."

"Maybe I did drink too much last night."

"This morning ya mean."

"Just take me to Pierce."

Horace led Narrita around the dilapidated building. Burnt rubble and barren dirt made up the surrounding area. The rear of the dilapidated building matched that of the front save for the large field of barren and hardened dirt that made up the backyard. Among the empty space was a single wooden shed whose condition was a direct contrast to the main building.

Two men guarded the shed; one propped his back against the wall, using his arms as a pillow while his arms remained shut. The other remained standing, looking startled when he saw Narrita and Horace turn the corner. He gave his partner a nudge with his foot, waking him up and making him scramble to his feet.

"You two sleeping on the job, huh?" Horace called out. He stood in front of the Cutthroat that had been resting against the shed. He towered over the underling, casting a shadow that completely encompassed him.

"It was all the ale last night. Been having trouble just standing up!" the man said as he put his arms in front of his face in a defensive manner.

Narrita took a fierce stance in front of him, giving the low-ranking Cutthroat a pair of narrow eyes. "You know what's in there, right? Everything we've ever worked for! And the body of one of our own! You need to get yourselves in check! Just because we're low on members doesn't mean I'm not willing to cut out those we don't need!"

"Yes ma'am," both men said reluctantly.

"Now step aside. And go away. We'll need our personal space."

The other two Cutthroats hobbled to the side, leaving Narrita and Horace alone by the shed. It spanned the length of almost a third of the former housing complex that they called home and reached the height of almost a single story. The front door was made of solid wood and was secured by a shiny lock and chain. Narrita felt around her body only to end up with empty hands. She then looked at Horace. "You got the key with you?"

"’Course I do." Horace placed the key in the lock and with a quick flick of his wrist, the chain fell off. He then pulled the door to the shed open, revealing its contents to Narrita alone. Piled up along the walls were mounds of chests and gold, making the area light up from the reflection of the sun against the metal of the loot. Along with money, there were a plethora of other valuable items scattered throughout the floor. From elaborate pottery to statues and pieces of decorative armor, ill-gotten gains covered up the dusty floor.

In the middle was a large piece of fabric, wrapped tightly around Pierce's body. It looked like a usual sack from the distance save the for the curved, snake-like contours that could be seen through the fabric. A single rope secured the area at the top, keeping it closed tight.

"T-That's him," Narrita muttered as she stepped closer.

Horace remained silent. He watched his leader limp over to the bag holding Pierce's remains. She knelt down, slowly placing a few fingers on the edge of the bag. "P-Pierce," she said with tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

The bulky man's head lay low. He shook it from side to side while keeping a single fist clenched, trembling as he gritted his teeth.

"I never should have sent you in there to fight! What kind of leader am I?" Narrita moaned. Tears flowed heavily again. She placed her hands on the rope, ready to unfasten it until Horace put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm telling ya. It's not a pretty sight. If you're getting nightmares now, I guarantee they'll only come in harder and more frequently if ya take a look inside that sack."

"But I need to. Just to say goodbye. One last time!"

"Narrita!" Horace held onto the woman's hand, keeping her from untying the knot any further. She let go and got up to her feet. She took the sleeve of her jacket and wiped out the last bit of tears that had formed in her eyes.

"You're right. Sobbing and mourning isn't going to get us anywhere. What we need to focus on is revenge. Find those two and make them pay for what they did!" Narrita shouted as she punched the palm of her hand.

"You thinkin' about taking out that brillick of theirs?"

Narrita nodded. "That's exactly what I had in mind. Don't kill them. We don't want the Farrowport Guard breathing down our necks for murder. But no one is going to care about a dead brillick except for that hunter and her friend."

"I'll put the other Cutthroats on full alert. In the meantime, maybe you could figure out want you want to do with him."

Narrita took one more glance at the bag that held Pierce. "All right. I can do that."