"Are you sure you want to bring that along, Aurrie?" Tamma asked once the housekeeper left the armory. The hunter held onto a new bow and a quiver with a dozen or so arrows dangling around her waist. Miwah stood by the hunter’s side holding a longsword. She let it glisten in the sun before stashing it away in its accompanying sheathe. Aurrie staggered out of the armory with a shorter blade in one hand and a buckler strapped to her other arm. "It's going to be a bit of a walk. I'd suggest bringing something light me and Miwah here."

Aurrie stood into the light and stretched her arm that held her buckler in front of her body and yawned. "Ah, I'll be fine. I'm used to bringin' stuff up and down stairs all day. When you have to bring kegs up and down stairs for a livin,’ haulin’ around a bit of protection is nothin’. Besides, I've gotta get practice in for when I'm a Purifier anyway. Tryin' to familiarize myself with my weapons and maybe build a bit of muscle on the side."

"If that's what you wanna do, I won't stop you, lass," Tamma said with a shrug of her shoulders. "And I guess if you ever get tired of bringing it along, you could just toss into the mud."

"Sounds like a good use of our tax dollars," Aurrie replied.

Tamma clapped her hands and took a sharp turn towards their destination. "Now, I hope you two have got everything you needed. There's not much out in that swamp besides mud, trees and some mean animals roaming around."

"Mean animals?" Miwah said with suspicion.

"The ones in the swamp can get pretty territorial. But if you leave them alone, they won't bother you."

"You make it sound easy," Miwah said.

"For me, it is. I've been dealing with the creatures for as long as I can remember. I know how to treat them."

"You sound confident, 'lass,'" Aurrie said in friendly yet mocking tone. "Let's just hope you can back up your words."

"Don't worry. If there's one thing I know, it's how to deal with animals."

"That's why Lug is such a hard worker, right?" Aurrie said with a smug smile.

Tamma shook her head as she started to walk in the direction of the swamp. Miwah placed her hand over her mouth to hide her chuckling. "It seems as though Tamma's wit has met its match. Usually, she would have something to say in return."

"Yeah, yeah. I can't always come up with a witty reply when I'm focused on trying to get us to our destination!"

"You always had somethin' to say when we travellin' through Farrowport," Aurrie said.

"Let's just get going. You know there's a lot on the line, right?"

"I think that is her way of admitting defeat," Miwah whispered to the housekeeper. Aurrie hid her giggle with her hand. Tamma turned around to the other two, shooting them a brief look of defeat before continuing the march.

The journey towards the swamp continued with limited talking among the group. The dense streets and even more crowded market would have drowned all conversation. Instead, the trio focused more on staying together through the rabble. Once at the gate, Tamma stopped to peer towards the horizon.

"You know where to go?" Aurrie asked. Tamma leaned over the wooden fence that separated the gravel from the edge of the port from the thick grass that grew just on the other side. The sun was overhead and getting ready to set, casting the entire island in a warm orange glow. With the edge of her hand placed over her eyes, the hunter scrutinized the horizon.

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

"Just remembering what Chaston told me. He said to go in the direction of the three-peak island." She pointed with her other hand to a sharp silhouette in the distance. Like the researcher pointed out, the land mass in the distance had three jagged peaks. "I like to call it The Trident. Should be easy enough to follow."

"Has anyone ever been there?" Miwah asked. "It looks like it could be a pleasant place to live."

"I'm sure someone has explored it. But as far as I know, no one lives there. From what I hear, it's too rocky and the plants are too dense. Like a sunken mountain with overgrowth on top. Sailors use it for navigation, but that's about it."

"Should be easy enough to follow." Aurrie patted Tamma on the back, breaking the hunter's concentration. The housekeeper then slipped her body through the narrow gap in the middle of the fence. "The sooner we meet this witch, the better."

"You seem eager to head out," Tamma said.

"That fight at the inn and me holdin' these weapons got me eager to try gettin' into my Purifier form again."

"Back at Chaston's office, you seemed bothered by all the finer details of our current mission. What made you change your tune so soon?" Tamma asked. Her and Miwah climbed through the wide space in the decaying fence and walked to the housekeeper's side.

"Not like I got anythin' better to do."

"Boredom," Miwah said. "I suppose that is as good of a reason as any to become a Purifier."

"I wonder what Yalch would have to say about that," Tamma said.

Aurrie looked down at her necklace and tapped the stone with her finger. "What's that? I think he does have somethin' to say." She put the crystal next and nodded her head. "Yeah, he says that we should get a move on."

Tamma took lead again, making sure to keep her eyes focused on the three-pointed mountain range in the distance. "I'm sure Aurrie will be changing her eager attitude once we start actually trekking through the swamp," Tamma remarked. "There's a reason why no one on this island actually lives on this part of the island."

"Just a bit of mud, right? What's the worst that we could face? A mosquito or two?"

"If only it were that it, lass. If only that were it."

"What more would we have to deal with, Tamma? You said that you would be able guide us away from the aggressive creatures," Miwah said. Tamma continued straight on. The other two stayed behind for a moment to glance at each other. Upon seeing that the hunter had no plans of slowing down, they caught up with a quick sprint.

"You ever smell Lug's fur up close, Miwah?"

The seamstress shook her head.

"Woo wee, are you in for a surprise then."

"I'm not bothered by bad smells," Aurrie said somewhat triumphantly. "Once you've worked in an inn down at the bottom of Lower Farrowport, you get used to seein' and smellin' all kinds of nasty stuff. If that's why you're havin' us worried, you gotta remember that you're not dealin' with your average Farrowport lady."

As Tamma continued to lead, she turned back towards the others, focusing on Miwah specifically. "You make a good point, Aurrie. But Miwah here is always talking about how nice and tidy her home continent is. I don't think she's come across anything quite as foul before."

Miwah's eyes cut towards the hunter. "We shall see about that. I am surprised that after all we have been through, you would think some odor would get in the way of performing my duties as a Purifier."

"Oh, I genuinely believe that you would do whatever it takes to save Farrowport and as many people as possible. But that doesn't mean you'll have a good time going through with... how should I put this?" Tamma tapped a finger to her chin coyly as her eyes darted around the horizon. "The more menial aspects. And it's not just the scent, either. The terrain's rough. Cold. Wet. Not to mention absolutely filthy."

"Now you just made me want to prove you wrong." Miwah sped up, passing Tamma in the procession. "Chaston said follow the mountain, correct?"

"He sure did."

"Fine. That should be an easy task. I do not see why you have to be the one to lead. Anyone can walk in a straight line."

Tamma gave Miwah a pat on the back of her shoulders. "If you want to take point, be my guest. Just let me know when you get tired and you want to switch out."

"Are you sure about this Miwah?" Aurrie asked all the way from the rear. "I thought this was supposed to be an important task! And Tamma knows how to go through dirt better than any of us!"

"I can handle this," Miwah said with confidence. "Besides. What if we ever find ourselves having to traverse through the woods or a forest and Tamma is not present? I see this as good practice to develop navigation skills."

Miwah continued, her posture exhuming confidence. Tamma giggled to herself before leaning next to Aurrie's ear and whispering. "I give the poor lass a few meters before we switch spots again."