Gertrude entered the shack first with the flower resting in the palm of her hand. Horace and the other Cutthroat were still sitting at the main table, their heads resting against the arms with their eyes shut tight. "Wake your friends, dear," the witch said to Narrita. "I'm going to need that table cleared if we're going to start this spell."

The Cutthroat leader stepped inside and clapped her hands high in the air. "Rise and shine, boys!" she shouted.  The others darted up from their slumber and began scanning their surroundings.

"Narrita!" Horace exclaimed. He got up from his chair and stood in front of the head thief. He opened his mouth, only to pause as he looked at the dirt, grass and leaves that covered the front of her body. "Everything all right? What happened?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine." Her smile contradicted her rough appearance. "We just ran into a bit of a detour is all. But Edith sorted everything out."

Horace tilted his head to look behind Narrita and saw Edith standing by the doorway, clutching Mister Cuddles to her chest as she swayed from side to side ever-so gently with a soft grin. "That kid?" he asked while pointing at the child. "She saved your rear end?"

"Yeah. She did. And we still managed to get the last ingredient that Gertrude needs to finish the spell."

"That's great!" Horace spread his arms apart and brought Narrita in for a hug. "The gang's going to be back together again!"

"Don't celebrate quite yet!" Gertrude called out as she sifted through her shelves. "There are still a few things that we need to go over before I start working on my magic."

"It's not another fetch quest, is it?" Narrita asked.

"Oh, no. We have to discuss some of the stipulations that come with casting this spell."

"You could have brought that up before we went out to scavenge for the Ivory Asters, you know."

"True." Gertrude picked a box from off the shelf and placed it on the table. "But even if you decline, it is still nice to have an Ivory Aster handy in case the need arises."

"What's the deal then, lady? Why have you held off on telling me about it for so long?"

Gertrude paused her rummaging to walk towards her daughter. She bent over and gently put one hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know you must be tired and dirty, Edith. Why don't go clean yourself up?"

"But Mother..." Edith droned. "I want to see the spell!"

"I know. We won't start it without you, Edith. Just go and get that dirt off you first. Everyone will still be right here when you return."

Without further discussion, the girl obeyed. She vanished into the other section of the shack, letting the door to the washroom close behind her. With Edith gone, the witch turned to face the Cutthroats. "There are two things that you should know before I go through with this."

"Lay it on me," Narrita said. "I've already gotten this far."

"Firstly, you have seen Mister Cuddles. How he's missing chunks of flesh and carries around that nauseating scent."

"Hard not to notice."

"And you also know that Edith doesn't grow older."

"Of course."

"The point I'm trying to make is that necromancy never brings back loved ones the way you want them to. I can minimize the alterations to your pet's revival, but you will not be having him by your side exactly as you used to."

There was no attempt from Narrita to conceal her disappointment. She lowered her head, placed her hands on her hips and let out an exhausted sigh. "Yeah. I had planned on asking you about that earlier. But part of me was too scared to come out and just question you about it. It's now or never though." The thief lifted her head up, her sorrow still visible in her eyes. "Tell me. What's going to be different about Pierce once this spell goes through?"

Gertrude placed one hand on Narrita's shoulder and guided her to the table. On the far end was the Beacon. "You won't have Pierce by your side all the time anymore. He'll have to be summoned."

"What?" Narrita jumped back, terrified by the information. "Summoned? He won't be following us around Farrowport? Slithering around the hideout? Or... even just… laying around on my bed?"

Gertrude shook her head. "No. Or at least not at first." She lifted up the necklace and let it dangle in front of Narrita's face. The woman stared at her reflection in the purple jewel as it swung in front of her eyes. "You know very little about being a Purifier. It is a complicated affair and am I quite old so my memory is very hazy. But I can try to explain it to you in as simple terms as possible." 

The old woman pulled out one of the chairs of the table and sat down. She gestured with her hand for Narrita to do the same. "You said you saw two other girls transform, correct?"

Narrita nodded her head in response. "Yeah. And they had these wild outfits and weapons."

"With this necklace, you will be able to do the same thing."

"Right. That's why I sto—" Narrita paused her sentence once she saw Gertrude scornfully stare back at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Got one for myself. Legitimately." The thief then feigned a chuckle. "That's why I got one legitimately... from the market. I wanted to do what they did but I have no idea how it works."

"Press it to your heart." Gertrude put an open hand across her chest. "That's all you have to do."

"That simple, eh?" 

"Yes. But don't do it just yet. Once you activate your power, your Class and Weapon essentially become bound to you. There's no way to change it unless you surrender your Beacon and get a new one."

A single hand brushed against Narrita's forehead. "Glad I couldn't get that thing to work then."

"I am going cast the spell on that necklace. Once it's finished, all it will need is the blood of a sacrifice. Then you will finally be able to activate your Purifier form and be reunited with your pet."

"Great!" Narrita grinned from ear to ear. "What else would I need to know about this... transformation?"

"Once you douse the Beacon in blood, Pierce will become part of your transformation."

Narrita's smile contorted into a look verging on disgust. "I'll... become Pierce? That's not what I wanted at all!"

"Will you let me finish?" Gertrude rolled her eyes. The Cutthroat leader sat up straight in her chair, becoming fully attentive to the witch's words. "Now, to answer your question, no. You will not become Pierce. Did you really think I'd have you hiking through the woods for some crass transmutation spell?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Narrita shrugged her shoulders.

"I wouldn't! I am proud of my craft. I have no need to resort to such low-level magic and deceit. What I was going to say was that Pierce will essentially become your weapon. Like how those girls that killed your pet had their own unique equipment."

"Oh..." Narrita squinted as her head bobbed slowly. "I get it. But he'll still be Pierce, right? His body? Memories? His soul?"

"Yes to all of them."

"Oh Gertrude! You don't know how worried I've been. That... lunatic... that murdered Pierce. She said that her weapon claimed his soul."

"What?" the witch said, perplexed. "A Purifier that claims souls? Never heard of such a thing."

"But she told me that her weapon and her transformation required consumption of the souls of fallen enemies to grow stronger!" Narrita cried. 

"She lied to you. Plain and simple. Probably to get you scared." Gertrude giggled silently. "Looks like it worked, too. Purifiers cannot claim souls. That's just absurd."

The thief leaned back in her chair, shaking one fist to her side. "Just wait until I see them again," she muttered to herself.

"Can we get back on topic?" the witch asked.

"Right, right. Of course."

"Now. He will become like a weapon. A familiar. If he was obedient, he'll be once again when you activate your Beacon. But he'll be even stronger than he was before and has the potential to strengthen himself further beyond that. New spells. New abilities. Among other things."

"How strong are we talking?"

"It depends on how much you're willing to make him stronger. But it will take hard work from you as well. You know how to cast Insight?"

"Of course. Don't use it too often, but I could probably figure it out once I put the practice in."

"Essentially, you'll be able to strengthen both yours and Pierce's attributes that way. I don't quite recall them all right now, but they are somewhat self-explanatory. You'll only be able to summon Pierce for a short period of time. A few minutes at most when you first start. Then you'll have to wait a few hours to summon him again. But as you familiarize yourself with your Purifier form and rank up, you can increase the time he's able to stay with you, as well as decrease the time in between summoning. There's a specific trait you can focus on to do so, but I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head."

"I'll figure it out as I go along."

"Good to hear." Gertrude placed her hand against the side of her head, massaging it gently as she closed her eyes. "Recalling all of these details is difficult. And I'm not here to be your Mentor. But as long as you understand that Pierce will only be around when you activate your Purifier form, we can discuss the second aspect that I wanted to get to."

Narrita leaned in on her seat, her ears slightly angled towards the witch. "I'm ready for it."

Gertrude's face turned serious, almost worried. "This is the part I dread to bring up.” The witch then paused. “I do not work for free,” she said after a brief sigh.

"That's fair. Nobody should have to work for nothing." Narrita turned to Horace and pointed to the bag that he brought along. "Show the woman what we're offering." Her eyes then met with the witch's. "If this isn't enough, we've got plenty more back at our hideout."

As Horace opened the bag of loot, Gertrude extended her hand and pushed it away. "I'm not looking for something physical."

"Oh. What are you looking for then?" Narrita asked.

"I'm looking for... a favor," Gertrude said somberly.