"Yes Narrita!" the Cutthroats said in unison. The sound of boots clamoring against a wooden floor sent shivers down both Miwah and Tamma's spines. They remained frozen, poking their heads just enough over the counter they were using as cover to watch most of the Cutthroats exit through the front of the building. Narrita, Pierce, Horace and a couple other thieves stayed behind, staring out the window.

"Go!" Miwah whispered while pointing ahead. Tamma turned around, moving at a brisk pace. She maintained a low profile, keeping her attention focused on the gang members. As she advanced, her bow remained drawn but angled downwards. Miwah and Yalch remained behind, both staring at Tamma and watching her every step.

The hunter made her way to the table. With nothing to obscure her from view from the Cutthroats, she scanned the surface for the sack of necklaces. Tamma took one more look at Narrita and the others before snatching the necklaces off the table with one hand.

"You can make it Tamma!" Yalch called out, bouncing up and down giddily as Tamma sprinted back to the counter. As he spoke, Narrita and Pierce turned their heads in a flash, their eyes zeroing in on Tamma.

"Oops!" Yalch muttered as he placed his hands over his mouth. Tamma froze mid-step, fervently looking between the Cutthroats and her friends.

The Cutthroat leader made a firm stance with her legs and pointed at the tavern's front door. "Don't let them get out of here! Block that exit!" The two smaller men obeyed, scrambling to the front of the building, brandishing their knives as they cut off the exit.

"I'll get the other girl," Horace said. He rested his club over his shoulder, letting it bounce as he jaunted to the other side of the tavern.

"Should I transform now?" Miwah whispered to the ghost? The seamstress' eyes were fixated on the studs of Horace's club.

"It's now or never, Miwah," Yalch whispered back.

The young woman took her hand and hovered it over her chest, ready to press the diamond of her necklace against her heart. As she closed her eyes, Narrita stomped her foot.

"Hold on a second!" the Cutthroat shouted. Her voice made Miwah pause. "I'm talking about you, Horace."

The bulky man turned around, giving his leader a perplexed stare. "Huh? Why? I could squash the both of them right now!"

"Both of them?" Narrita asked. "I know you have trouble with counting, but can you really not go past the number two?" She stepped forward while Pierce slithered right behind her. Horace turned around, pointing one finger at Miwah then slowly moving it to Tamma.

"One... two..." Horace mumbled. "That's all I'm seeing."

Narrita stood next to her fellow Cutthroat. Her lips curled upwards while her arms were crossed and pressed against her chest. She tapped one foot and stuck out her hand in Yalch's direction. The ghost lowered himself to an inch above the floor, shielding his shut eyes with his hands. "You don't notice that flying... round... face thing right there?"

"What?" Horace replied.

"Seems like you've been drinking too much, Narrita," Tamma called out. "You're hallucinating!"

"Then so is your friend," Narrita shot back. "I just heard her say something to him."

Miwah quickly shook her head. "Only Tamma and I snuck into here. Perhaps Tamma is right. You might have had too many—"

"I know how to drink! And I know my limits!" Narrita stomped forward, pointing her finger at Yalch. "You talked to... that thing. And Pierce can see it too! Isn't that right?" She looked at her snake as he slithered forward. He opened his jaw wide, letting his tongue stick out at the ghost, only to have it go straight through. "Are you telling me Pierce is seeing things too?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Maybe he's ingested too much of his own venom,” Tamma said quietly

With a huff, Narrita cut her eyes towards Tamma. "You know, those furs you gave us made for some great floor mats and rugs."

"How could you?" Tamma said with her fists clenched and down by her side. The pouch of necklaces became visible, catching Miwah and Narrita's attention. "Was it not enough to steal them from me? Now you have to treat those pelts like they're rubbish?"

"They're not yours anymore, darling. It's all Cutthroat property now. Just like that jewelry you've got in your hand."

Tamma took the pouch and pressed it close to her body. "These aren't yours. They belong to Miwah!"

The Cutthroat leader laughed. The rest of her crew joined in, making a loud and unified cackle. Narrita raised her hand and snapped her fingers, making the laughing cease immediately. "If those are yours, then how are you going to get them out of here, huh? Horace, time for you to get some counting practice in. Tell them the odds."

Horace took his club and started to point at each Cutthroat. "One... two... three... four..." The man then gestured towards himself with his thumb. "And then I make five."

"Five against three. Or two if I really am hallucinating." Narrita shrugged her shoulders, smiling at both of the women in front of her. "Either way, I've got a feeling you won't be leaving with those necklaces."

"You really think you and your underlings really have what it takes to stop Miwah and I from getting out of this tavern?" Tamma said, watching the seamstress out of the corner of her eye. She gave her a short nod in the direction of the front entrance. "I'll have you know, Miwah here took out a member of the Ghenka Clan all by herself."

"You really think that's impressive?" Narrita replied, raising one eyebrow. "The Ghenkans are brutal. In numbers. But they're mortals just like everyone else in here. Even if that story of yours was true, there's no way a scrawny maiden like her would get further than two steps before Pierce here would be able to wrap himself around her and squeeze the life out of her like a fresh grape." The snake then hissed as it leaned its head closer too Miwah, letting venom drip from its fangs onto the floor.

"If you cared for your pet, I would suggest you call it off," Miwah replied slowly and with just enough volume so that everyone in the room could hear. Her eyes were fierce as she locked gazes with Narrita. "Tamma is telling the truth. I have slain Ghenkans. I have killed grizlewulfs. I think cobras and Cutthroats would make for excellent additions to that list."

"I'm done talking with these two," Narrita replied, pressing her fingers against her forehead as she tilted her neck down. "Maybe we've been too nice these past few months."

"That's what I've been saying," Horace butted in. "When you stop hittin' people, they stop respectin' you! Too many threats, but not enough followin' through with 'em!"

"For once, you're right Horace. We need to take a more... assertive approach to how we deal with situations like these. That's probably part of the reason why we've been in a bit of a slump for the past few months." Narrita clapped her hands twice in rapid succession. "Get her, Pierce. You know what to do." With a wave of her hand, the cobra lunged towards Miwah with jaw agape. When she saw Pierce fly towards her, Miwah pressed her Beacon against her chest.

The familiar white light engulfed her. The snake slunk back and turned his head away from the illumination. Everyone else stared on in awe as they watched the clothing of Miwah's silhouette morph into an entirely different ensemble. After a few seconds, the transformation completed and Miwah stood with the blade of Liberator protecting the front of her body.

A silence overcame everyone in the room. All the Cutthroats gawked at the Purifier, blinking and squinting as if to make sure what they were seeing wasn't an illusion.

"What kind of witchcraft is this?" Narrita said with a shaky voice. "I-I've never seen magic like that before!"

"It's... Xiwaoan!" Tamma called out. "An ancient spell. It... cost Miwah her soul to cast! Isn't that right Miwah?"

The Purifier cocked her head to the side, staring at Miwah in both confusion and frustration. She then quickly hid away her emotion and nodded instead. "Yes, accessing this spell required enormous sacrifices. Not just my soul either! The souls... of those that are slain with this blade!" She then ran her fingers across the smooth side of Liberator's metal. "And I am more than willing to offer up fresh victims."

The two men blocking the tavern's door began to cower, slowly stepping away from their assigned post in front of the entrance. Horace shifted from his relaxed stance to one where he held the club with both hands, ready to strike. Only Narrita and Pierce maintained their position, albeit with less confidence.

"We've still got numbers on our side. And I doubt that hunter friend of yours is going to be of any help." Narrita flicked her wrist and Pierce curved his body upwards, travelling in a parabolic arc towards Tamma. Before she could ready her arrow, the snake bit onto the edge of her bow, prying it out of her hands with an abrupt twist of his head. The weapon snapped into two before falling to the ground. Narrita laughed as she watched Tamma bring her arms up to cover her face from the looming snake.

"What good is an archer without a bow?" Narrita asked with a cackle.