"Of course it worked!" the witch scoffed. She stepped inside her shack, surveying the damage done with disappointed eyes. "Perhaps a bit too well."

"You made a mess, Mother!" Edith remarked as she tiptoed past the green sludge that coated the floor.

"I know, I know. I forgot to use a bigger a cauldron. And one with a lid. But the spell should have the same effect regardless."

"What happened to the necklace?" Narrita made her way inside, staring the cauldron that was not coated in a thin film of green gunk. "Think it survived?"

"I know it survived! Just take a look inside there!"

"You're telling me it's buried beneath... whatever this stuff is?"

"Yes! If you want it, you'll have to get your hands dirty."

Narrita reached down into the black pot, feeling around in the slime. Her face scrunched once the green gunk completely coated her skin. It was hot, thick and chunky, much like milk left out in the sun. She closed her eyes and turned her head away while her hand continued to trawl through the contents of the cauldron. It wasn't long before her fingers came across something solid within the grimy substance. "I... I think I found it!"

The thief pulled her hand out. She shook it, sending the goop splattering around. The purple stone lit up, piercing through the thin layer of filth. "It looks brighter than ever before!" she exclaimed. Her disgusted face immediately shifted to a look of joy as she wiped away the remaining bits of residue from the jewel's surface.

"Perfect," Gertrude said as she looked over the thief's shoulder. "That means the spell went exactly as expected. All that's to do is the sacrifice. But you can do that at any time."

"Right," Narrita's tone went somber. "Once that's done, I'll be able to activate that Purifier form?"

"Yes." The witch nodded. "All it needs is to come in contact the blood of the deceased. Remember, it must be a comparable loss. So don't expect to go into the alley by the butcher and expect the blood of any random animal to work. Someone must have lost someone else important before their proper time."

Narrita slowly turned around. Her wide eyes made contact with the stern glare of the witch. "When you say someone... do you mean someone close to me? Personally?"

"That is preferred. But technically, no. As long as the deceased was loved by someone... anyone... the spell should still work. A family member. A friend. Even a close pet are all viable options."

"I see. I think I know exactly who would be willing to make the exchange," Narrita said coldly as she stared into the amethyst of the necklace.

"I won't press you any further. As far as I'm concerned, we've reached the end of our agreement. You've got your pet. As for myself..." Gertrude looked down to her side and saw Edith staring at the necklace in Narrita's hand. The witch pulled her daughter in close and gave her a sideways hug. "You remember your part of the bargain."

"Of course."

"Are you and your friends going to leave now Rita?" Edith asked with her eyes opened as big as possible. Narrita smiled and bent down to the child's level.

"No, not yet. Looks like there's a big mess and your family could use as much help as possible to clean up."

"What?" Horace moaned. "You’re saying we're going to help tidy up disaster?

"Yes, you oaf," Narrita snapped. "We're not going to leave this place the way it is after all these two have done for us. I know you're a bandit, but at least show a shred of decency."

"Just as long as I don't have to haul Pierce back," the other Cutthroat interjected. "I'm fine with lending a helping hand."

"Oh, that's a good point," Narrita pondered. "What happened to Pierce's body, Gertrude?"

The witch chuckled as she spread her arms apart. "Just take a look around you."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

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"That looks like it's the last of it," Narrita said as she finished scrubbing down the side of the bookcase. She got off her knees and wrung out the green rag over the cauldron. The last bit of goop spilled into the pot. Edith stood on her stool and looked down at the slime, sticking out her tongue and letting out an audible 'Yuck.'

"That went by a lot faster than expected. Five people can really clean a place up." Gertrude wiped away a bit of sludge from her forehead with the back of her hand. She then dropped her stained rag into a bucket and took a seat by the table. "Feel free to take that gunk with you, by the way. Maybe if you want something to keep as a reminder of Pierce's original body."

Narrita shook her head. "No thanks. We've got enough stuff back at our hideout. I don't think a cauldron full of slime is going to find much use."

"Suit yourself. If that's the case, have your men dump the contents over into the swamp's water. I'm sure the muck gators will enjoy a good meal."

"Say no more." Narrita snapped her fingers and pointed at the large black pot. "Once you two dump this out, we'll start heading home."

"Finally," Horace mumbled as he took hold of one side. The other Cutthroat stood on the opposite end and with a synchronized heave both men managed to hoist the cauldron and walked out of the shack. With the rest of her gang out, she tossed her rag into the bucket and took a seat on the opposite end of the table.

"I... can't thank you enough, Gertrude. I don't know what I'd do without Pierce."

"I should be thanking you!" the witch replied with a smile. "I can finally rest easy knowing what the future holds for my daughter."

"How will I know to come and..." Narrita paused her sentence and watched Edith hold Mister Cuddles over the bucket of rags. The rabbit stuck his tongue out, licking the green and goopy residue on one of the cloths. "Our hideout is a long distance away from here. Not to mention that getting through the swamp isn't the easiest thing to do. It's not like we can walk here every single day."

"Oh, you'll know. That's what the Ivory Aster was for."

Narrita's eyes widened. "Really?"

The witch nodded. "Really. It's just a small addendum I added to the spell. Once I'm gone, your Beacon will only work when Edith is around. Without her, it'll just be another piece of jewelry."

The thief looked down at the amethyst necklace and held it with one hand. "Ah, that's quite clever."

"I may be old but I'm not gullible. I wouldn't just let you walk away without putting in something ensure that my end of the deal gets fulfilled. Especially when you’re such a notorious thief."

"That's pretty clever, lady. You know that?" Narrita grinned and let the necklace rest on her chest again. "I got a feeling that you could have been a great Cutthroat if you were born a few decades later."

"I'll take that as a compliment. But I must say, I am pleased by your disposition. Personally, I was expecting you to be furious. Or at the very least upset that I left out a crucial detail about the spell."

"Can't be. It's only fair. Besides, I agreed to it, didn't I? I would have come back to pick up Edith regardless of the limitation that you put on the Beacon."

"And I believe you. I could tell you were genuine when you agreed to our terms. As well as when you said you'd help clean up the mess. But still, a mother can never be too careful."

"Fair enough. I'm guessing this thing is going to notify me somehow that you've... moved on?"

Gertrude bobbed her head. "Yes. You'll notice it glow. Brighter than ever."

"Well, that's not something I look forward to. Hopefully we'll get to meet again before that time comes."

"It would be a pleasure, Rita." Gertrude extended one hand across the table. Narrita took hold and gave it a firm shake. As their handshake ended, the other two Cutthroats walked into the room, carefully moving with the cauldron back onto its stand.

"All done," Horace said. He dusted off his hands on his pants and stood next to Narrita's side. "'Bout that time, right?"

Narrita stood up from her seat. "Yes. Seems like it."

"Now are you leaving, Rita?" Edith walked up to the thief with Mister Cuddles wedged in her arms. Narrita reached down and ruffled up the girl's hair with her hand.

"Yeah. We've got other friends that probably miss us right now."

"Aww..." Edith lowered her head and sighed.

"Don't worry. I promised your mother that we'll see you again. Just be patient. We'll cross paths soon."

The girl lifted her head, showing off her smile to the thief. Narrita gave a wide smile in return, blinking a few times to stop tears from escaping her eyes.

"I'll be waiting!" Edith bounced up and down on the tips of her toes until Gertrude got up from her seat. She placed one hand on her back and began to guide her to the back of the shack.

"It's late, Edith. You look like you could use a bit of rest. Go ahead and say goodbye and let these kind people get back to their home. They've got a long trip ahead of them.”

The girl raised her hand as high as she could above her head and gave the Cutthroats a wide wave. "Goodbye!"

Horace stepped out the door first, turning his head back and gave the child a wave. "See ya, kid."

"Yeah, bye," the third Cutthroat said unenthused.

Narrita stayed within the doorframe, giving Edith the same exaggerated wave that she gave her. "Bye Edith! Hope to see you soon!"

The girl then went into her room, closing the door behind her. With the child out of sight, Narrita left the shack and followed behind the rest of her gang. She took one last look towards the small building and watched as Gertrude gave them a small wave through the crack in the door before closing it shut.

It was now nighttime and the air was cool. The sound of birds squawking had been replaced with the rhythmic chirping of insectus. Narrita stared at the shack longingly until Horace tugged on her shoulder.

"Come on, Narrita. We gotta get home and tell the rest of the gang about the good news!"