"How many people would you say were in there, Yalch?" Tamma asked as she squinted down the hill towards the tavern.
"A lot."
"Can you give me a specific number? Or at least an estimate?"
"Uh... a lot."
Tamma gave the ghost a squinted stare. He shrunk back, covering his eyes with his transparent hands. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm not good at counting large numbers."
"Was the room crowded?" Miwah said in a more reassuring voice.
"That I can say. Every single table was filled with people."
"Colligan’s? Crowded at this time of the day? The Cutthroats must really be celebrating if they're throwing a full-on festival at this hour," Tamma remarked. “Sounds to me like they invited a few of their friends over to celebrate.”
The seamstress stepped forward, giving the area further down the hill a scan of her own. "Even if I utilize my Purifier form, there is no way I would be able to take on everyone inside."
"Trust me. At your Purifier Rank, you'd probably transform back to normal before you took out more than a couple of them!" Yalch said.
"There has to be a way to at least get some of them out of there." Tamma's eyes became fixated on a small area a short walk from the tavern. She became silent, focusing intently on a specific part of the lower portion of town.
"What are you looking at?" Miwah stood closer to the hunter and looked down at the area with her.
"I think I might have a plan."
"If it is anything like what you had in mind when we first met the Cutthroats, I want to have some input."
"Don't worry, Miwah. I think this one will work out better."
"And why is that?"
"Gut feeling. I call it my hunter's instinct."
"I am still skeptical."
"Maybe Tamma is right this time!" Yalch said. "Couldn't hurt to hear it! What did you have in mind?"
"There's nothing the Cutthroats love more than their ill-gotten loot. And it looks like they left most of theirs by one of the stables outside of the tavern." She looked at Miwah and Yalch with a smile as she punched the palm of her hand. "We get them clamoring to reach their loot, then maybe can snatch the Beacons back in the middle of the hysteria!"
"You know Tamma, this reminds me a lot of what you had in mind back in the alley."
"This will be different!"
"How?" Miwah snapped.
"For one, we know you'll be able to turn into your Purifier form. That alone makes a huge difference. And two, we have Yalch on our side! He can go back inside and give us some more information on what we're going up against."
Miwah turned her eyes away, looking somber as she held onto her shoulder with one arm and sighed. "Still sounds risky."
"Riskier than letting Narrita and her crew hold on to all of the Beacons?"
"She's got a good point, Miwah," Yalch said.
The seamstress rubbed her hands against her eyes as she let out soft sigh. "Since Yalch is here, maybe we do stand a better chance."
Tamma began to move downhill. "That was my point all along! Now, I say we get going before the Cutthroats start to sober up!" The hunter darted down towards the lower section of town, keeping a low profile as she moved along the road.
"I think she makes for a good leader," Yalch said as he hovered in a straight line behind Tamma. Miwah reluctantly followed, looking behind her one last time before continuing on.
"I just hope her ‘hunter's instinct’ is right this time."
"About time you two caught up." Tamma kept her body pressed against the wall of a building around the corner from the tavern. Instead of focusing on Colligan’s, her attention was set on the stable not too far from it. The sound of animals neighing and snorting could barely be made out among the ruckus that came from the tavern.
"You sure can move!" Miwah said while panting.
"That's because there's a lot on the line right now." The hunter looked back up at Yalch who was staring at a small horse that had stuck its head from out of one of the stable's stiles. "Hey! Yalch! Over here!" Tamma snapped her fingers repeatedly, grabbing the ghost's attention.
"Yes Tamma?"
"I need you to go inside Colligan’s and keep an eye on everyone. Once people start leaving, that's when you come get us. We'll be hiding behind this building. Understood?"
Yalch nodded. "I think I get it. What are you and Miwah going to do?"
"We're going to make a distraction." She winked at the ghost. "Don't worry, you'll notice it."
"If you say so Tamma. I'll trust you on this one." The ghost then hovered in a straight line, vanishing into the wall of the tavern.
"What is this plan of yours, Tamma?" Miwah whispered.
"You know how to start a fire?" she asked nonchalantly.
"A... fire?" Miwah's entire body bobbed back while looking startled. "Are you crazy?"
"No, no. I know what I'm doing. I hunt in a forest for a living, remember? If you're going to survive a winter night in there, you'll have to know how to make a fire and how to control it. I'm not going to burn down the entire area. Just the roof of where the Cutthroats’ stuff is stored to lure them out."
The seamstress gestured towards the stable with her thumb. "You want to burn down a building filled with animals?"
Tamma's face turned dire. "If there's one thing you know about me, it's that I love animals. I'd never consider that! We were going to free them first. I bet almost all of them are stolen, anyway!"
"Well, I suppose I have nothing else to lose. If this is the end, at least I will go down for a good cause. I hope."
The seamstress took a firm slap on the back of her shoulder. “I like the way you think, Miwah! Now, we don't have much time. Let's hurry up and get those animals freed and that fire started."
"You lead the way."
Tamma took one last look at the tavern, nodding upon seeing that the coast was clear. She then sprinted while crouching low, making it to the stable in a flash. Miwah followed suit, arriving at the side of the building next to the hunter. Tamma wasted no time in beginning to free the bound and captive animals. They all stared her in silence as she brushed her hand against their fur while cutting away the ropes that kept them restrained.
"You manage to keep them so calm," Miwah muttered quietly. She kept an eye on the tavern as Tamma cut loose the restraints that kept a small dog fastened to one of the wooden stable's posts.
"It comes from years of experience. You just have to know how to be gentle. And the animals will reciprocate. Isn't that right, little lass?" Tamma brushed behind the neck of the spotted dog. She looked at the animal's neck and noticed a tag attached to the collar. The hunter leaned in closer and examined it closer. "See? I knew that these animals were taken. This one even has an address on her tag."
"Hopefully they'll be able to return to their proper owners."
"I'm sure the dogs will. The horses and mules, maybe. But I'd rather them take their chances in roaming the streets than waiting to find out whatever the Cutthroats had in store." She gave the dog a gentle pat on the side and pointed towards the other side of the stable. "Go on now, lass. Things are about to get dangerous here." The dog eagerly trotted away, vanishing into the myriad of buildings.
"Think you have the time to be friendly to all of the animals like that?" Miwah said as she looked at the length of the stable from one side to the other. "Looks like you have six more sections to go. And they all look full."
Tamma stood up and handed Miwah a knife. "You start from the other end. I'll keep on this side. We could get this done in less than ten minutes if we split up."
"But... I am not too good with animals..."
"You don't have to be good with them. I'm not asking you to adopt any. We just need to get them out of here so they don't get hurt."
"Understood." Miwah gave Tamma a bow and proceeded to her assigned side of the stable. As she stood in front of the opposite side of the structure, she was greeted by an angry looking donkey. His eyes were a dull orange as he wobbled from side to side inside his narrow space. He huffed upon Miwah crossing his vision.
"Of course," Miwah said as she rolled her eyes. "Just my luck."
