"Tamma!" Miwah cried as she looked towards the hunter. She fell to the ground while keeping her hands protecting her face. Pierce continued to hiss, letting his venom drip to the floor. Tamma crawled backwards only to have the cobra slither in unison with every inch she retreated. Miwah jumped forward, performing a horizontal slash as she closed in on the cobra. The curved metal of the blade cut through the air, creating a silver streak as it travelled in front of Miwah.

Pierce's body curved backwards, allowing him to avoid the attack. The snake then lowered his entire body on the ground, slithering away from Miwah from the fight underneath the tavern's tables. With Pierce away from the fight, she turned her attention to Narrita and the others. They all stared at her, still maintaining their expressions of awe. 

"Who wants to be the first victim?" Miwah called out, holding Liberator low and in front of her. 

The leader of the Cutthroats glanced at Horace from the side. "Get her," Narrita said with a small nudge of her head. 

"Me?" Horace replied with some hesitation. 

"Yes, you. She's just a girl that's a third of your size! One good hit from your club and she'll be mush!" Narrita shot back.

Without saying another word, Horace held his club with both hands. He brought the weapon over his head as he stepped forward and swung downwards with a two-handed swing. Miwah stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the studded weapon. The attack hit the ground, cracking the wooden planks that made up the floor. Despite the attack whiffing, Horace kept his eyes focused on Miwah. He lifted his club again and then swung high, aiming for Miwah's head. 

She ducked. The swing went high, cutting through air with a loud whoosh. Still crouching, Miwah took a step in closer and followed up with a rising slash of her own, performed with an uppercut from her right hand. Horace clumsily placed the length of his weapon between his two hands, spreading it straight. Liberator's blade clashed with the metal of the club, clanking loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"You two," Narrita said to the Cutthroats by the door. She pointed to the battle between Miwah and Horace. "Give him a hand. In case this clod can't beat a little girl."

"Aye!" both men said in unison. They brandished their swords and began to march over to the fight. Horace continued to block a series of slashes from Miwah, but with each deflected attack, he backed closer to the wall. With the fight still raging, Yalch hovered down next to a still-floored Tamma.

"Put on one of the necklaces!" Yalch exclaimed. Tamma's eyes jumped from the fight to the ghost floating beside her. She opened up the small white pouch and peered inside. 

"Which one? Does it matter?"

"Yes! Pick the one that glows! That means its compatible with you."

The hunter dug inside and pulled out a square emerald attached to golden chains. "This looks bright!" Tamma said while showing the necklace to Yalch. "Is this the right one?"

"Only one way to find out!" 

Tamma placed the necklace around her neck. She followed Miwah's motions and pressed the jewel against her heart. Another white light radiated over her body, obscuring her completely save for her silhouette. The outline of her clothing gave way to a new Ensemble before the light dissipated completely. 

"Great," Narrita blurted out. "We've got another one to deal with!"

The hunter looked down, staring at her change in garb. A tight corset with belts wrapped around a short white dress that ended just below her waist. A sleeveless mesh top travelled down from her neck all the way to the top of the hem of her dress. Beneath the skirt a pair of black tights covered her legs but still showed off their shape all the way down to her knee-high forester boots. Long tassels dangled from underneath her waist while a pair of dark brown gloves covered her hands. A pair of feathers stuck out of her hair, topping off her Ensemble.

"What do I do?" Tamma asked Yalch, angling her head towards the ghost but focusing on the two Cutthroats approaching her. Their advanced slowed; steel swords were drawn but they took a defensive stance as each one of their steps were careful and deliberate. 

"Just... think about a weapon. Knowing you, it's probably a bow!"

Tamma took a stance as if she were ready to shoot an arrow. Her empty hand trembled as she dedicated her attention to creating a weapon. As they watched her struggle, the two Cutthroats advanced further with confidence. 

"You can do it Tamma!" Yalch exclaimed. Tamma continued to try and summon her weapon, taking a step back as the distance between her and her aggressors diminished. 

"Tamma!" Yalch blurted out with fear.

She closed her eyes. A white light emerged from her hand, taking the shape of an intricate curve. The weapon materialized, taking the form of a wavy and ornately carved bow without a string. Tamma's eyes opened as she brought the weapon closer to her face for examination. "It's a pretty piece of craftsmanship. But I don't think it's finished, Yalch," the hunter whispered nervously to the ghost. "Hard to fire a bow without a string." She then felt her side and back for quiver. "Let alone without any arrows!"

"I've seen this kind of weapon before. It's magic! All you have to do... is mimic the motion. Kind of like you're shooting a regular bow."

Immediately, Tamma raised the bow with her left hand, tilting it diagonally. As she aimed, the two attackers hesitated. Using the opportunity, Tamma placed her hand where the string would be. A glowing pink beam formed between the two ends of the weapon while a long yellow arrow extended from the center of the magical string. The arrow itself looked otherworldly as well, looking to be made of light and energy rather than solid materials. Tamma pinched the fingers of her right hand together and pulled the string back. Despite the string being made of magic, the weapon still had the same feel of a traditional bow. The hunter drew the arrow back as far she could, keeping her aim steady at the two Cutthroats. 

"Don't worry, those arrows don't pierce like normal ones. They hurt, for sure. But if you don't want to kill, a normal shot can still put out an enemy in a non-lethal way," Yalch whispered.

"Glad you said that," Tamma replied. She let go of the string and the golden beam flew towards the closest Cutthroat. It travelled in straight line before colliding into the man's chest. The impact pushed him back, knocking him on his shoulder and making him drop his sword. The arrow stuck out of his chest as his hands reached to pull it out, only to have his fingers slip through. 

The other attacker looked at his downed partner in terror before looking at Tamma again. A trembling hand waved the sword it held as he slowly backed away. Tamma drew another arrow, and upon seeing her do so, the remaining Cutthroat turned around. He started to sprint, only to have Tamma fire her arrow into his back. The impact made him fall forward, skidding across the ground face first as his sword went flying across the room. The arrow jutted out of his back as he squirmed on the floor, letting out groans of anguish. 

Narrita maintained her position despite her face showing unease. She squinted at Tamma; her arms still crossed in front of her body. "So me and Pierce aren't crazy! You two were lying to me!"

"About what?" Tamma retorted. 

"That ghost thing!" She pointed at Yalch. 

Tamma turned towards him. "Oh."

As they spoke, the battle between Horace and Miwah continued. A shove from the man's club deflected Miwah's downwards slash to the side, leaving the front of her body exposed. Horace attacked with a push kick to the Purifier's stomach that sent staggering backwards. She kept her grip on Liberator tight, still holding onto it despite the hefty blow. 

"You're still dealing with her, Horace?" Narrita said annoyed. She looked away from Tamma to the other two combatants. Both were focused on each other, each taking in deep breaths as they stood hunched over. "You're having trouble taking out a little lady?"

"She's... stronger than she looks!" Horace replied with pauses between his words to regain his breath. 

"Come on now. Any other time you'd be boasting about how you can take on the entire crew of a ship by yourself!"

"This... is different!" he barked back. 

"Right. Sure." Narrita rolled her eyes as she stepped towards Miwah. "You two have put on quite the show, but I think it's about time you two left." 

Tamma pulled her bow back, aiming for the Cutthroat leader. "What are you talking about, Narrita? You're outmatched. You saw what I did to your men. You think you'd be able to take a shot and stay standing?"

"You won't shoot, Tamma," Narrita said with a grin. She then snapped her fingers. "I'm sure of if it!"

"You can't—" The hunter's sentence was cut short, the rest of her words were replaced by a shout of anguish. Miwah turned away from Horace to look at the commotion. Pierce had wrapped himself around Tamma's legs all the way up to her waist. The snake's mouth opened wide, lingering inches away from her face. 

"Tamma!" Miwah and Yalch shouted simultaneously. The snake coiled his body tighter. Tamma grunted and gritted her teeth, dropping her bow to the ground as the squeeze intensified. 

"Let's make a trade," Narrita said, smiling confidently. "You're a merchant, Tamma. Or... at least you try to be. Let's see how good you really are at negotiating."

Art Spotlight: Tamma Lezmala (Purifier Form)