"Keep your head up, Aurrie!" Tamma waded in the water and pointed at the Ghenkan ship a short swim away. The hunter turned her head and saw the housekeeper struggling to keep up; her head bobbed up and down beneath the waves. Each time she resurfaced, Aurrie took in a deep breath.
"I'm tryin', Tamma! I really am!" Aurrie shouted over the sound of crashing waves.
"And you were worried about me not being able to swim!" Tamma said with a roll of her eyes. She swam to Aurrie and grabbed her by the waist and started to help her float through the remaining distance to the boat.
"Sorry! I didn't think we'd be swimmin' for this long!" Aurrie said once her head was safely above the water's surface.
"You call this a long swim?"
"It's longer than any time I've been in the water!" Aurrie raised both her hands and started to flail around in the sea.
"Maybe I should have taken Narrita with me instead," Tamma said as they closed in on to the side of the ship. A long rope was submerged to the side and led up to the bow of the boat. "Yalch, can you go into the hull and see what's going on in there?"
"I'm on it!" The ghost flew in a straight line at the boat, disappearing into the wooden mass.
"We're here now, right?" Aurrie said with a gasp. "We just need to climb the anchor's rope and we'll be onboard!"
"You can climb, correct?" Tamma replied as she moved herself and Aurrie closer to the rope.
"I can climb a rope, Tamma." The housekeeper said with annoyance as she grabbed the anchor's tether and pulled herself up. With one hand holding the rope, Aurrie stared past the boat and towards the shore. "Hey! Look!" Aurrie exclaimed as she pointed at the beach with one hand.
"What's going on? Everything All right? I can't see from here," Tamma said as she tried to get a view further down the shoreline.
"Looks like the Ghenkans are fightin'... a giant bug!" Aurrie exclaimed.
"That's the Queen!" Tamma gestured for Aurrie to hurry up by pointing at the boat. "That means we're running behind!" The housekeeper climbed the rope, scooting along the line at a faster rate than her swimming. Tamma stayed right behind, her eyes turning to the beach once she was high enough out the water. "I hope Miwah and Narrita aren't hurt," the hunter said as she continued to scale the rope.
"Yeah, I hope Miwah isn't hurt either," Aurrie replied with a grunt.
"We'll have to talk about that grudge of yours later, lass. Don't forget that Narrita is the one risking her life out there to make sure we even have a chance of reaching that cannon!"
"I don't care. I'm never forgivin' her for what she did!" Aurrie said, stopping her climb before reaching the front of the ship.
"That's why I said later, lass. We’ve got more important things to worry about at the moment." Tamma said in a soft voice once she caught up to Aurrie. Both dangled right next to the side of the Ghenkan ship, giving them a clear view of the battle between the Insectus Queen and the Ghenkans. "Who do you think is going to win this one?"
Tamma and Aurrie both watched in silence as the Queen's mandibles chopped through two Ghenkans at once. One fell out of her grip while the other was hoisted high into the air before the Queen flung his body back into the diminishing army.
"I'd place my money on the bug," Aurrie said as she took hold of the boat's railing. The housekeeper moved from the from rope in a less than graceful manner; her entire body shook and trembled as her hands switched surfaces. With a bit of grunting, Aurrie managed to put both hands on the railing while her bare feet pressed against the side of the ship.
"Can you make it the rest of the way lass?" Tamma asked, both hands keeping her hanging on the rope.
"I got it, I got it." Aurrie hoisted herself up the remaining distance, staggering onto the deck.
"Good. Now it's my turn,' the hunter said. Aurrie leaned over the railing and watched Tamma swing from the rope to the side of the boat like an acrobat. She scaled her way up to the deck in a matter of seconds.
"You tryin' to show off?" Aurrie said as Tamma shook out the excess water from her hair.
"You've got to figure out how to move around the environment if you're going to be an effective hunter," Tamma whispered. Both started to tiptoe across the deck, their eyes scouring the ship for the cannon.
"Where are the Ghenkans?" Aurrie said quietly as she poked her head around the corner of the ship's quarters.
"Probably eyeing their loot," Tamma said with disgust. "I wouldn't be surprised if the captain is more concerned with making sure the treasure gets out of here than the survival of his own men."
"That just makes it easier on us then," Aurrie said as they turned the corner. She tapped Tamma on the shoulder and pointed down the length of the ship at the long cannon. "There it is!" she said with excitement.
Aurrie started to move towards the weapon until Tamma stopped by tapping her shoulder. "What is it?" the housekeeper called out.
"If that thing can blast through the Queen's shell, then why aren't they using it right now?" Tamma whispered. "Something isn't adding up here."
"We're not going to find out just by standin' here and comin' up with theories!"
"Tamma! Aurrie" Yalch cried as he flew up through the floorboards. "The Ghenkans are on their way right now!"
"Just our luck," Tamma said as she darted to the cover of the captain's quarters. "Any chance you found out why they're not using it right now?" she asked the ghost.
"I think one of them said something about it being broken!" Yalch said.
"Perfect!" Aurrie said as she slammed a hand against the ground. "We did all this for nothin'!"
"At least we can still sink the ship," Tamma whispered. "If we could only find where the cannonballs are."
"Probably by the cannon," Aurrie said as she poked her head past wall.
"I think I could hit that with my spell," Tamma whispered.
"You might want to do that when we're not on the boat."
"Right." Tamma's eyes widened as she snapped her finger. "I think I have an idea!" she said. Both Aurrie and Yalch looked at the hunter, waiting to hear what she would say next as she pondered. "We could lure the Queen here. And once it gets close enough, we take out the boat and the Insectus at the same time!"
"Sounds easier said than done," Aurrie replied. "But if you've got a solid idea of how to get it work, then I guess it's worth a shot."
"I'll... work on it as I go along." Tamma then looked at Yalch. "Can you go tell the others that there's been a change of plans? Tell Miwah and Narrita that we won't be sending the explosives to the Queen, but rather they'll have to bring the Queen over here to the explosives."
"On my way." Yalch then disappeared towards the battle, leaving Tamma and Aurrie alone with the sound of the impending barbarian's footsteps as they marched to the top of the deck.
"I think it's about that time, Tamma," Aurrie said as she turned to what remained of the door that separated the stairs to the hull from the deck's surface.
"I'm ahead of you." The hunter closed her eyes and pressed her Beacon to her chest. Aurrie did the same, the light of both transformations soon engulfing the entirety of the boat's surface. In the next instant, both girls were adorned in their Ensembles.
"Can you keep fighting long enough for Miwah and Narrita to get over here."
Aurrie took a defensive stance, sliding the edge of her blade against her shield. "I'll do my best. But seeing as how we just activated our Purifier forms, that gives me plenty of time to duel some Ghenkans!" the housekeeper said, her body facing the staircase. She spread her feet, taking a firm stance all while keeping a confident grin on her face as the shouts and footsteps of the ship's crew grew louder.
"I got your back, lass." Tamma pinched her fingers together and summoned an arrow of light from her bow. She pulled the string back and took aim.
"Hurry to the deck, men!" Eijnar shouted from beneath. "I want two of you to figure out why the cannon isn't firing. And want another one of you to come with me so we can start reeling the anchor back in! If we can't kill that damn insect, we'll have to leave it! Let Farrowport deal with her!"
One of the Ghenkans emerged from below, showing only his head. The moment Tamma got a clear shot, she let the arrow fly. The projectile went through his head, the light arrow sticking through his head as he tumbled backwards. The men below shouted with shock as the body fell backwards, forcing them to scramble their formation.
"Seems like we have intruders on board, men!" Eijnar shouted from beneath the deck. "Take a defensive position!"
