Tamma stopped in front of the entrance to her room. She pressed one hand against the door, read to push it open. Miwah stood beside her, her arms drooping low as her eyes struggled to remain open. The hunter turned towards the seamstress and saw that Yalch's face matched hers. Both looked exhausted, ready to fall over at a moment's notice.

"You two all right?" Tamma asked as her eyes jumped between the pair.

The ghost stretched his arms above his head before covering his mouth with one hand as he let out a long yawn. "I am. Just exhausted. I think I'm going to get some sleep inside one of your Beacons. I won't be gone for as long as I was last time, but just keep that in mind."

"Whose necklace are you going into?" Tamma asked.

"Hmm... let's try something different." Yalch flew towards Tamma before being engulfed in a thick cloud and pulled into the jewel of Tamma's Beacon. The hunter lifted up her necklace, eying the jewel at the end in the limited lighting.

"Hey, I can see Yalch in there!" she said with enthusiasm as she watched the small cloud swirl within the stone.

"Yeah... he does that," Miwah said, struggling to get out every syllable. "What are we waiting for, exactly?"

"Oh, sorry. I was getting worried about how Lug might react. We've been gone all day, so I know he must be feeling a bit anxious. Hopefully he's asleep right now and we can sneak in without him causing much fuss." Tamma put her hand on the door again, slowly pushing it, making the wood at the bottom of the door grind against the flooring. The scraping noise was sharp and loud, making both women tense their muscles.

"Stop it!" Miwah barked. "You're going to wake up everyone in the building!"

Tamma stopped opening the door, leaving it ajar just enough for the both of them to squeeze in through. She went first, only to be greeted by a hefty brillick pinning her against the wall. A barrage of licks and parks ensued as Lug used his weight to keep Tamma down.

"Off boy, off!" She commanded, unable to stop her laughter. The brillick continued to lick and sniff despite Tamma's attempt to get him off. Miwah then pushed the door open the remainder of the distance, making one short yet sharp scraping sound. Both Tamma and Lug stopped what they were doing to look at Miwah.

"She said off!" Miwah yelled. Her posture was now upright as she stood with her legs spread. One arm formed a fist that hung low by her side while her other hand pointed towards the small mound of fabrics that lay in the corner. "Now sit!"

With a whimper, Lug got off Tamma and limped to the pile of rags that was his bed. The brillick sighed before plopping down on the ground and turning his head to face the wall.

"I'm impressed! I almost never see Lug act that obedient." Tamma got up from the wall and brushed off the remaining saliva from her skin.

"A little bit of discipline can go a long way," Miwah replied as she kicked off her shoes into the corner. "Now. Looks like Lug was able to behave himself while we were gone." She scanned the floor and noticed that everything was in the same place as when they had left. "Would you be fine with sleeping on the floor? I promise that you can have the bed next time."

"Promise?" a smug Tamma replied. "You seem to be forgetting who pays the landlord for this room, lass!"

"So you want the bad tonight then?"

"No. I was just messing with you. I'm fine with the floor. I'm used to it. Besides, I don't sleep as long when I lay on the ground. That way I can take Lug out for a short walk first thing I wake up."

"That is fine with me," Miwah said as she yawned and stretching her arms in front of her chest. "But if you go out, make sure Yalch does not get stolen from you. That would be the last thing we need right now."

"Don't worry about me. Responsibility is how I make a living!"

"Uh-huh. Sure." Miwah laid down, pulling the blanket tight over her body. "That is why you got your entire wagon stolen."

"You're never going to let that one go, are you lass?" Tamma unrolled the long blanket that she had tucked away beneath her mattress and spread it out across the ground.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Because it is too easy," Miwah said, her sentence trailing off towards the end. "Because it is too... easy..."

----------------------------------------

"Rise and shine lass!"

"W-What?" Miwah stirred in the bed, keeping her eyes shut while the blanket covered her face. "Is it morning already?"

"Yup. I went ahead and took Lug for a walk. Now we have to head back over to Alson's office. Remember? We agreed to meet him and Alson first thing in the morning!"

"Of course! But is it already time to wake up?" Miwah begrudgingly sat up straight in the bed. Her eyes squinted towards the window. A small shed of orange sunlight crept through the crack in the curtain. "I was in the middle of a good sleep."

"I know. Hate to wake you but you know what's at stake now. The more time we spend dreaming, the more time those maggots have to spread throughout Abbus Forest and possibly even to Farrowport."

The seamstress rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "When did you get to be so... driven."

"I think I learned it from you."

"And perhaps a bit of Lug's laziness has rubbed off on me." Miwah then slipped out of bed. "Did Yalch wake up yet?"

"Nope." Tamma flashed her Beacon and tapped the jewel. "He's still here with me."

"Hopefully he will wake up soon."

"Likewise. I like having that floating lad around."

The hunter began to gather her belongings. As Miwah put her feet into her shoes, she watched Tamma give Lug a farewell hug. The brillick whimpered but didn't make a fuss like last time. "Sorry to leave you again, boy. My friends and I have got to go and save Farrowport!"

"Excuse me, Tamma?" Miwah said quietly.

She turned around but kept her hand brushing back the messy hairs of Lug. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Oh boy," Tamma said before chuckling with a bit of exasperation. "Usually that means you want to find out something personal. But I'll bite. What is it that you want to know?"

Miwah looked down, staring at her hands. Her fingers interlocked with one another as she sighed to herself. "I... I wanted to ask you. Are you... scared?"

"I'm guessing you're talking about... everything, right?" Tamma said.

The seamstress nodded. "I am just wondering how you manage to maintain this confident and chipper attitude. Perhaps I am a bit envious. Even though I try not to show my emotions... I cannot hide them from myself." Miwah's eyes reddened. She quickly lifted the back of her hand and pressed it against her eye to wipe out the tear starting to form.

"Sleeping was difficult last night. My mind kept going through failing scenarios over and over. Farrowport gets overrun with maggots. The Ghenkans come in and do the same to this town as they did to my village. Ravenous animals run rampant through the streets. It is all too much to bear it seems. Cutthroats cornering us in an alley." Miwah held onto her necklace, looking at her reflection on the stone. "I often wish that I had never agreed to become a Purifier!"

"What you're feeling is completely understandable lass. It's a lot to take in. Remember, I've been with you since the beginning! I'm feeling the same way you are right now."

"Really? I never would have guessed."

"Us Bahnwans take pride in our attitude! We believe that life is for living! That means not fretting too much over things that are out of your control. But seeing as how this Purifier ability gives me more than a few newfound responsibilities, even I have to admit that the pressure is getting to me."

"But even now. As we discuss the dire situation that faces us, you still manage to smile."

"What can I say, lass? That's just how us Bahnwans are. Smiles are the only cure for sadness as my people would say. Even it's just momentarily, sometimes focusing on what's going right can get your mind off of everything's that going wrong." Tamma walked up to Miwah and gave a strong pat on the shoulder. She smiled, making the seamstress crack a grin as well. "Ah! See it's already starting to work! You got me. You got Yalch. Alson. Chaston. I'd say those odds aren't too bad if we plan our moves carefully."

"Thank you, Tamma. You really know how to make a dire situation bearable."

"You say that now. But wait until we have to walk all the way back to Chaston's office! We'll be taking the long way again. You know, to avoid having to deal with any angry Cutthroats."

With a groan, Miwah shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head back. "Ah. Thanks for the reminder. Now I am feeling down again. And I assume that we still won't be taking any of the shortcuts?"

"It's for the best. Even though Lug won't be coming along, I'm sure Narrita and the rest of the Cutthroats are just dying to get their revenge."

"That is what I figured." Miwah took in a deep breath and rolled her neck. "Well, I suppose there's no point in trying to dawdle any longer. The sooner we can get to Chaston's office, the better."

"Right." Tamma placed one hand on the door. "But between you and me, I'm not looking forward to having to to do research."

"Not much of a reader, are you?"

"I learn more through hands on experience. Now, I'm all for Purifying. That's the fun part." Tamma shook her head as she opened the door, leaving it ajar so Miwah could step through after her.

"Hmm. If it were up to me, I would be more than fine trying to outsmart these threats. Maybe turn the Insectus, the Ghenkans and the Cutthroats all against each other. They seem to enjoy causing harm and destruction."

Tamma paused, pondering Miwah's statement as the seamstress stepped out of the room and stood at the top of the steps.

"Everything all right, Tamma?" Miwah asked, her foot still on the top step.

"You know lass, that's not a bad idea at all."

"What? Trying to get all three of our enemies to go against each other?"

The hunter nodded. "Yeah. Why should we be doing all of the hard work when we've got enemies that are just looking for trouble?"

"I am sure there is a way we could get them to turn against each other."

Tamma punched her hand into an open palm. "And then we can even use the Ghenkan's tactics against them! Once their numbers have been dwindled, we come in and clean up the mess."

A short smile came across Miwah's face. "That... is not a bad idea. Once we find out more about those bugs with Chaston, maybe we could come up with something."