"And then... that's when I ran!" Horace pleaded. He sat in front of a masked woman inside the same bar where Pierce was killed. He hunched over the table, both hands in front of his body as the masked woman on the other side kicked back in her chair, aiming her loaded crossbow with one hand; its bolt pointed at the Cutthroat's heart. "Honest! T-That's exactly what happened!"

"I see. So, you you're saying that you're innocent in all of this?" the woman asked with a subdued Xiwaoan accent. Her crossbow hand bounced up and down nonchalantly while her other hand brushed away a strand of long brown hair away from the brown mask that obscured her eyes. She wore a tight green suit with brown curves accenting the fabric. "And that the warrant Remcroft put out for your capture is just part of an elaborate misunderstanding?"

Horace nodded. "See? I knew you'd get it. No point in trying to make a scene here." The Cutthroat leaned back in his seat and tilted his head from side to side. Three other men in the tavern got up from their seats and stood by Horace's side. His smile turned smug as he reclined comfortably in his chair as his men put their hands on the hilts of their sheathed weapons. "We just wanted one last drink from our favorite place before we skipped town. I know you got a job to do, but I'm afraid you'll have to leave emptyhanded."

"There is a substantial bounty for your capture," the woman said placidly. She aimed her crossbow with hand, slowly pointing the tip away from Horace's heart and at his face. "And the fee for bringing you in dead isn't much less than the other option."

Horace winced as he tilted his head back. He put one hand over his face as he pointed to the crossbow-wielder with his other. "She's trying to stop us from escaping! Take her out quick before word gets out that we're hiding down here!"

Two of the men approached with their hands still on their sheaths. With a flash, the woman shifted her aim to the Cutthroat approaching her left. She pulled the trigger and in an instant the bolt was protruding from the man's chest. The Cutthroat fell backwards, falling on the floor with his arms spread out.

"She's defenseless now!" Horace said as he darted up from his seat. He picked up his club from under the table and raised it over his shoulder, ready for a strike. The mercenary stood up right after Horace did, toppling the table over and sending drinks and plates scattering across the ground while creating a barrier between her and the Cutthroat in the process.

As soon as the woman stood up, the two remaining Cutthroats withdrew their weapons, with the closest one going in for a slash. Having noticed the oncoming attack, the mercenary spun around with a backwards step. As she twirled, she reached for a weapon on her hip and unleashed it with an elegant stroke, creating a silver flash that intercepted the Cutthroat's attack. The parry knocked the rapier out of the man's hand, leaving him defenseless.

The woman stepped forward, revealing a fan with sophisticated characters inscribed on its metal blades. She flicked her hand in a downwards swing, cutting through the thin fabric of the Cutthroat's top. A trail of blood flew as the man clutched the gaping wound on his chest.

"Just stop her!" Horace shouted as he bashed the lopsided table to bits. The other Cutthroat underling poised his sword for a stab as he slowly stepped towards the Xiwaoan. She turned her attention to the sword-holding bandit and tossed her fan with a backhanded swing. The bladed fan spun like a disc before its sharp edge stuck into his shoulder. The bandit screamed as he toppled over the body of his slain ally.

"Any other weapons you got on you?" Horace said as he held his club with both hands. He swung it upwards, clipping the woman's crossbow with the attack and sending it soaring across the room. The woman backed away as Horace followed, his eyes full of anger as he readied his club for a downwards smash.

The mercenary reached to her other hip, her fingers stumbling as she pulled a single crossbow bolt from her quiver. She held the shaft so the point faced Horace. Her confidence disappeared as her back bumped into the tavern's wall. She fumbled around with the short weapon as Horace loomed over her with his club raised high.

"Should have taken my offer to leave!" Horace said with furor. "Now I'll have to—"

Something shattered. Glass fell to the floor around Horace's feet, followed by Horace's club crashing to the ground. The bulky thief fell to his knees with a thud before slumping forward on the floor face first. The mercenary looked at the motionless Ghenkan that lay at her feet.

"Hey!" Narrita said as she placed the remainder of her mug on a nearby table. The mercenary shifted her attention to the bandit. She handed over her crossbow with a nod. "Not bad." The mercenary snatched the weapon without a word.

"You could at least say thanks!" Narrita said as she placed her hands on her hips. The mercenary ignored her words and marched to the deceased Cutthroat in which her fan was embedded. With a quick tug, she removed the weapon from the body. "Are you deaf or something, lady?"

"What do you want?" the mercenary said coldly. "A portion of the reward I assume?” She pulled the string on her crossbow back and loaded in another bolt. Narrita took a few steps forward and squinted her eyes as she scanned the woman's outfit.

"Are you a Purifier?"

"A what?" the other woman said angrily.

"Nothing. Never mind."

"If you are done talking about nonsense, I have other matters to attend to." The mercenary reached down next to Horace and placed two fingers on his neck. "Fortunately for you, he's still alive."

"Fortunately for me?" Narrita replied with disdain. "If it weren't for me, that wall would have gotten a fresh coat of paint courtesy of your brains!"

"Fine." The mercenary reached behind her back a pulled out a rope. She pulled back both of Horace's hands and started to tie them together. "Thank you."

"That's a start. I guess," the bandit said after rolling her eyes. "I thought saving your life would at least warrant a conversation!"

"What do you want from me? If it's a cut of the profits, you might as well leave."

"I didn't even know this guy was worth any money!" Narrita said as she kicked Horace in the shoulder. "Can't people just do nice things for the sake of being nice?"

The mercenary finished the knot around Horace's wrists and then looked up at Narrita. Her angered disposition had lightened. "All right. If you are not after my money, I suppose we can chat. Too often do people seek to intercept me and claim bounties once I've done all the hard work."

Narrita feigned a laugh and scratched the back of head. "Right. Listen, I'm no bandit, lady. Just... a bit of a loner."

"I see." The other woman went down to Horace's legs and started to the fasten them together with another rope.

"What's your name, anyway."

"I go by Zheung."

"Xiwaoan?"

"Of course."

"What brings you to this part of the world, huh? Haven't seen too many Xiwaoans here. Well, except for one."

Zheung stood up and looked at her work from a distance before turning to address Narrita. "I am searching for a band of pillagers. Ghenkans. They destroyed an innocent village in Xiwao not too long ago. Our ministry tasked me with tracking down the whereabouts of the ship. I am only here to hunt down this man because of the reward Remcroft has for his capture and his involvement with the Ghenkans."

"Is that so?" Narrita said with a smile.

"Is that a funny matter to you?" Zheung said, looking offended. "The destruction of innocent lives?"

Narrita shook her head and hands. "No, no. Of course not. But I know exactly who you're talking about!"

The mercenary's eyes widened. "You do? Now, if you could help me track down the ship, I would be more than willing to let you in on some of the money the Xiwaoan ministry has offered me."

As Narrita opened her mouth, she paused when she heard Horace groan. His head wagged from side to side. "You got another rope? Or maybe a cloth? Anything to keep him quiet."

"Oh, right." Zheung knelt next to Horace's face and crammed a table rag in his mouth. The Cutthroat mumbled and shook his head, but the cloth stayed. "Now, as you were saying?"

"I know exactly where Eijnar and his boat are. I can even lead you to them!"

Zheung shook her head. "You wouldn't want to do that. The Ghenkans are brutal. Ruthless. Just tell me where to go and I'll do the rest."

"Were."

"What?"

"They were brutal. Pretty sure all of them are dead now. Or at least the vast majority."

"And what of their ship?"

"At the bottom of the ocean."

"Drat!" Zheung slammed a fist against the table. "Perhaps we could at least find the captain's body!"

Narrita shook her head. "That's not happening either."

"And why would that be?" the mercenary asked with her arms crossed.

"He got turned into a chunky red mist, that's why. But if it's evidence you need, I'm sure I could lead you to where the boat sunk. Maybe do a bit of diving."

Zheung eyed Narrita, making her skepticism evident through her narrowed eyes. "How do you know so much about what happened to the Ghenkans?" the mercenary asked with a tilt of her head.

The bandit smiled with confidence. "Long story. I'm sure you won't believe all the details. But with the help of a few pals, we managed to take out their enter crew. Oh, and a giant killer bug."

"Sounds like a trick to me." Zheung reached down and pulled on the rope at Horace's ankle and started to drag him away. He fought back by squirming, making it impossible for her to pull out of the inn.

"Quit making it hard!" Narrita shouted. She lifted the remainder of her mug and shattered it over Horace's head again. The Cutthroat went limp again.

"Thanks," Zheung said as she dragged Horace along the floor with ease.

"See? Is it that hard to say?"

"I suppose not."

Together, the two women headed towards the door. "So, am I helping you out or not?"

"I'm still skeptical of your intentions."

Narrita darted ahead and opened the door wide, inviting the mercenary to exit first. "If you don't want my help, that's fine. If you’d prefer to fly around this island for hours searching for a sunken ship, have fun."

"Well, I suppose it could hurt to trust you." Zheung exited the tavern and let Horace's legs drop to the ground as she eyed the bandit from the bottom up. "And you don't seem to pose much of a threat. At least not for me. You have any weapons on you?"

The turned her pockets inside-out. "Unarmed. All I've got on me is this necklace. Not like I can do anything with that."

Zheung stroked her chin. "Fine. I'm willing to work with you. But I am in charge of this operation. Understood?" She extended one hand. Narrita accepted the offer and smiled wide while shaking the mercenary's hand.

"All right! That's a deal for me. Name's Narrita, by the way."

"Well then. Thank you, Narrita. For everything." Zheung bowed before picking up Horace by the rope tied around his ankles. "Let me load this catch onto Yuwahn and drop him off at the Farrowport prison. Then we can go searching for the Ghenkan remains."

"Sounds like a plan to me. But I have to ask. What's a... Yuwahn?"

"That's my aqua-wyvern. He'll fly us over to the prison. Then we'll head over to wherever the Ghenkans sank. He can even help us with searching. His kind is known for their diving capabilities."

"A wyvern?" Narrita said in awe. "You have to be rich to afford one!"

Zheung continued walking, dragging Horace behind her. "The Xiwaoan ministry wouldn't hire some novice for such an important task. It's the kind of job that requires the utmost of skill."

"Makes sense. You know... if they're hiring you to find the Ghenkans... and I'm partially responsible for taking them out... I guess that means I've got 'the utmost of skill.'"

Zheung chuckled, only to immediately hide her grin after hearing herself. "We'll see. If we do come across the Ghenkans' remains, then I'll be more inclined to believe you."

Narrita clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "Easy enough. You know, with your connections and my skill, maybe we could make some serious money together! You get the jobs, and I help you finish them. Just think how much more efficient you'd be with me as a partner!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Narrita," Zheung replied. "Let's just focus on one task at a time."

---

Art Spotlight: Zheung Xiulun