"Why are you not more upset at what just happened?" Miwah asked. She travelled right beside Tamma, watching her as she continued to brush back the strands of hair that stood on Lug's neck as they travelled through the emptying Market Center streets. "You were just robbed in front of countless witnesses."

Tamma turned to the seamstress with an expression of apathy. "I didn't lose too much. Those furs that they stole weren't selling. My only real loss what that slab of ribs they ran off with. Although, I hate the idea of perfectly good fur being used as fuel to cremate such a horrible person. I would have preferred it to see some proper use instead."

"And the maggot."

"Not like that had any value to it,” Tamma remarked with a shrug.

"Clearly the Ghenkans thought it was valuable. It was on their boat and Eijnar was so concerned with reclaiming it."

The hunter's face became serious. "You think there's something more to what we found buried inside of the grizlewulf?"

Miwah nodded. "Unfortunately. Something just does not add up here. I think Eijnar does not want people to know about those small creatures. The man I fought on the escape boat seemed terrified of them. He was more concerned with… whatever those things are… despite having the perfect opportunity to kill me. One got stuck on his chest," Miwah recreated the scene, putting one hand over the front of her robe. "And despite how much he tugged and pulled, it would not come off."

"You're telling me that in the middle of a life-or-death fight, a member of the Ghenka clan stopped from slaying his opponent just to try and pry a bug off his chest?"

"And it even got him killed. And it would not come off, no matter how much he tried. That was when I took the moment to attack."

"I wish I had known about that earlier. This might be a bigger matter than I had originally thought. Here I was thinking that maybe it dug itself into a sick grizlewulf and that it was attacking out of pain. But now... maybe there's more to it."

"If it is the work of the Ghenka Clan, I would not be surprised. Especially after what they did to my village." Miwah cut her eyes straight ahead while keeping her fists wadded tight. "Their tactics are dishonorable. I can still see what happened, as clear as day."

Tamma stopped her moving to look at the seamstress. "I know it must be difficult to relive those moments, but we need to get as much information as possible. That way we can at least try to figure out what their plans are."

"I know." Miwah inhaled. "Remcroft soldiers marched through my village. Taipen is... was... an important stopping point for travelers and merchants along the coast of Xiwao. That is why the Remcroftian army wanted to seize it. Even though they wanted to capture my home, they were at least honorable. They sent a messenger out first to warn of their arrival. The leader of the village declined and let the messenger go back to his army. With the news of the inevitable approach to Taipen, the men of the village readied themselves for a battle."

"That sounds like a Remcroft thing to do," Tamma stated. "Despite how long this war has been going on, their army doesn't like to attack those not directly involved in fighting if it’s avoidable."

"Exactly. Once the Remcroftians arrived, many of the men at the village stood by the entrance, armed and ready to fight. Their commander accused our leader of executing their messenger, saying that he failed to return the day that he informed the village of their arrival. The commander even went on to explain that both countries agreed to make it illegal to kill unarmed messengers."

"Everyone knows that," Tamma added. 

"And that is where the trouble started. The Remcroftians continued to lecture our leader on the rules of war. He was a noble admiral in the Xiwaoan navy, so he knew more than his fair share about the laws in the treaties signed between the two countries. The disrespecting of our leader paired with the Remcroftian army's stubborn led to a small skirmish."

"I'm sorry, Miwah."

"That was not the worst part. Our village has had attackers before. But our warriors have staved them off. It looked to be a typical battle. A few casualties, but with the goal was not to completely eradicate the other side, rather to deter them from advancing any further. But in the midst of the fighting, both sides were flanked by a third army."

"The Ghenka Clan?"

Miwah kept her head down. "Yes. I saw everything from atop the defensive wall of the village. First, a barrage of arrows dwindled the numbers on both sides. I saw childhood friends die from the assault. Both armies became confused, scurrying from fighting one other to trying to figure out where the arrows came from."

Miwah straightened her pose and wiped a tear from her eye with the back of her hand. "That is when the Ghenka Clan came in. The numbers of their men matched the size of both sides of survivors combined. But they were too busy fighting with one another to focus on the new threat. The Ghenkans slaughtered most of the men in a matter of minutes. That was when they began bashing away at the door of the gate to the village.

Once they broke though... they killed. Without prejudice. I ran for cover. I ended up hiding away in my home, hiding underneath some fabric. My mother made sure I was buried in case the men looked through the contents of the container. Everything else after that was a blur. I heard a crashing sound, like someone barging in. Then the cries of my family. Then silence. The next moment, I could feel the men lift what I was hiding in and carry me onto their boat." 

Miwah straightened her back and took in another deep breath. As they got closer to the narrow alley that led them into the Market Center, the swarm of shoppers and merchants had already begun to disperse. "I stayed in there for what felt like days. Did not sleep. Did not eat. That was when Yalch appeared and helped me escape."

"That ghost person you mentioned?"

"Yes."

"I know that the Ghenkans had something to do with the missing Remcroft scout," Tamma said with a clenched fist. "Both sides were set up."

"It is obvious now. Those men are too much of cowards to fight an honest battle. Just look at how they used their size and numbers to rob you."

"Right." Tamma placed a finger against her cheek and crossed an arm across her shoulder while tapping her foot against the ground. "Now, if I had to make a guess, I'd say those maggots were supposed to be used for some kind of dirty tactic. Maybe have some crazed animals kill a travelling party on their behalf."

"I would not put it past them. Seems like the fight on the escape boat must have put that plan on pause. Maybe that explains why they wanted to reclaim it. So they can start to rebuild their collection."

"Or they don't want anyone to find out about it. Seems kind of pointless to haul around dead bugs like that. And did you see his eyes when I tried to take the jar back from him?" Tamma gave Miwah a scowl with eyes opening as wide as possible, imitating Eijnar's expression. "Never seen someone look both angry and scared like that."

Miwah shook her head. "If only we knew what exactly that thing was. You said you knew someone who might have an idea?"

"There's someone up in the governor's home in the middle of the upper-class part of Farrowport. He's a wildlife expert that's been all over the world. Taught me a lot of what I know about this place's ecosystem. If anybody here knew what exactly we're dealing with, it'd be him."

"We should go see him as soon as possible! The longer we wait, the more time the Eijnar and the Ghenka Clan have to plan out their next attack."

"I'm fine with going to visit him tomorrow. I doubt he's in his office now. He's probably gone home at this hour." Tamma yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "Besides, I'm exhausted."

Miwah blinked a few times. "I am too. I think a bit of rest could do us both good."

The hunter continued the walk. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Take a break from pillagers and maggots and just got some good ol' shut eye." Lug barked twice, his tongue drooping out of his mouth as his legs bounced up and down. "You know you've been resting all day, right?" she said to the brillick. "You'll be doing what you do all day, everyday!"