“No no, I’m not disagreeing or anything. It definitely worked against those kobolds, and all, it’s just not what I was taught. I’ve never seen it in any books, either.” She said as she followed her tall new friend down yet another back alley, already hopelessly lost despite having lived in the town since she’d become an adult. Somehow Mea knew her way, though, as they went from shop to shop looking for goods and negotiating with the shopkeeps to produce things seemingly of her own invention. Scented soaps, several odd tools that Mea had said were necessary for cooking, a liquids container called a canteen, gear for climbing, portable shelter, and the list went on.

Just wandering around town on someone else’s errands might have been boring, if not for the conversation.

“Probably because I’ve never been taught, other than the very basics.” Mea said with a shrug. “Like I’ve said, I can just see the shape the Spell makes and use that to cast.” Anise shook her head at that. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it, but that didn’t make it better, because even though it was the best answer she’d been able to get out of Mea so far, she just couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Spells were taught master to student by feel and by the grace of Maria, and just being able to copy them by sight was baffling. Even so, she didn’t doubt Mea in the slightest. She couldn’t after putting the tips and coaching Mea had given her to work the previous day against the kobolds.

“Well if all you need is to see it once, then I do know someone who can do fire who owes me one, but wind might be tricky. I—”

“Hold that thought,” Mea said, cutting her off with a raised hand. Anise sighed and gathered the mana for an [Ice Ward]. Doubtless it was more thugs from the Inclement Weather gang, identifiable by the swatches of blue on their sleeves and their superficially pleasant approach, who had it out for Mea in particular and Anise by proxy.

“Hello, sugar,” a laughing voice called out from further down the dingy alley. “You’ve been naughty, haven’t you, stirring up trouble and walking down our streets without a care in the world.”

“Move,” Mea said. Anise knew from prior experience that Mea only ever gave one warning, and equally that none of the grinning men slinking out from the darkness would pay any attention to it. None of the others who’d accosted them the same way had, after all.

It had started the previous evening after all four of them had come back from their raid against the kobolds, which had been deeply humbling for both Fen and herself. Mea assured them that their raid on the goblins had been exactly the same, and had even called it boring, but they’d finished in time to be back to the inn Mister Mougein had booked them in for dinner. It was the errands Mea wanted to run after that, which Anise had tagged along for, where the trouble started. Mea had, in spite of all warnings, immediately crossed straight through the run-down parts of town where the gangs thrived and had badly injured one of the gang’s leadership by bumping into him.

“Oh, now, don’t be like that,” the suave speaker said, a dandy looking young man who was drawing a blade even as he spoke. Mea sighed audibly but otherwise did nothing. She took a few steps back, curled up against the wall, and cast her Spell with a whisper. Overnight there’d apparently been a hit put out on them, and so the first time they’d been attacked that morning Anise had tried to help, but all she’d gotten was in the way and another robe dirtied, so she’d learned to just bunker down.

As soon as the man stepped into range, waving his blade, Mea grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him and his weapon forward to stumble over her outstretched leg before she body slammed him into the wall. Anise looked away after that, forced to listen to the sounds of angry threats, and a few Arts being used, before they were all swept under a tide of unhealthy crunching and meaty thuds.

“Safe now,” Mea said. Anise looked around hesitantly to find an arrow lodged in her ward, which made her grateful she’d taken the precaution. She pulled it out and tossed it into the pit that was opening in the packed dirt of the alley, then moved to helping Mea pick over the bodies for anything useful or worth selling. She marveled slightly at how accustomed she’d become in less than a day to such things happening. In the middle of town, no less.

Bandits were one thing, she’d encountered a few even in her short career, as they were usually failed adventurers. She didn’t like having to kill people, but sometimes it came down to her, or her friends, or them. Anise knew which choice she’d make in those circumstances, but the way Mea just swept them aside like they were leaves on a stoop was deeply unsettling. They weren’t even people to her, just obstacles, minor hinderances.

Gangs were a step beyond bandits. They were organized, had the noble guard bought off, kept fairly skilled enforcers on their payroll, and a penchant for threatening people’s family, friends, and even assassinating adventurers while they were out on the job. Just insulting one of them would put a person on their hitlist, let alone killing any. They weren’t likely to ever let that go for as long as the gang stood.

Not that Mea seemed to care. Not about any of it. She just killed anyone that got in her way and moved on. Anise tried to do the same, for her own sake, but she’d be seeing the face that suave sounding man had made as the life was crushed out of him in her dreams. There was no stopping that.

“So, wind will be troublesome to learn?” Mea asked, picking up their conversation again. Anise rolled the last of the bodies into the pit just as heat began to roil up and a stone lid closed over the impromptu grave.

“Right, it’s an unusual element is all. Haven’t heard of anyone in this town who knows any wind Spells, though I do know a man in the capital who does. He was charging big money to teach it, but I honestly couldn’t tell you why as I hear it’s not very strong.”

“Mm, guess I’ll put that one off to later, then.” She nodded, as there was no such thing as a quick trip to the capital, it being nearly on the other side of the great mountain.

“Boelln, he’s the one who knows how to cast those fire Spells I mentioned, lives on the other side of town from here, but I imagine he’s home right now.” They’d been a team, before he’d taken a bad injury trying to earn a little more money taking jobs on his own. She and Fen had managed to find him before he’d bled to death, but he retired and settled down after that.

“Almost done mapping this part of town, then I want to pick up the money the guild owes us. Maybe after that,” Mea said, but Anise was stuck on the first part.

“Mapping? Is that what we’ve been doing wandering the backstreets?”

“Yes,” Mea said, but didn’t elaborate further as she often didn’t.

“Why?” Anise pressed. Mea seemed thoughtful as the stone lid rolled back, revealing a bed of nothing more than white ash. Dirt swallowed the whole thing soon after, and they moved on, all evidence erased.

“Good question. No good reason, I suppose, other than it bothers me to have undiscovered areas.” She parsed through Mea’s strange phrasing and found herself getting a little mad.

“Have we seriously been traipsing around these dark and dirty alleys for no better reason than idle curiosity? Not to mention getting attacked by these thugs all day.”

“Hm,” Mea said as they walked. “You have a point. It probably is better to just cut things off at the source before they cause real inconvenience, isn’t it?” Anise scowled, as that wasn’t what she’d been talking about at all, but figured she’d get more of the same if she opened her mouth again. They walked a few more minutes through twists and turns before Mea stopped in place and laughed.

“Oh, that’s a nice bonus.” She stared off into empty air for a moment, then turned to Anise. “Alright, since the mapping is complete, slight change of plans. Let’s go get rid of this gang before we get our money and then we can head back to the inn.”

“Bonus?” Anise wondered, but Mea just waved it off, clearly not interested in explaining anything. “When you say get rid of them how exactly are you planning to do that?”

“I really love having you along, you’re better than Mia at pointing out these things, I swear. Right, they’ll probably scatter and be all difficult instead of fighting normally. Right, right. Well, would you mind going to get the money yourself then? This’ll probably take a little longer than I’d like, so I’ll meet you back at the inn later.” Anise groaned, but was glad enough to not be involved, and money was always nice. She was also looking forward to her rank increasing, and all the bragging rights and respect that came along with it.

"Alright then,” she said, but was caught by the shoulder before she made it further than a step.

“Let me escort you back to a main road before you run off,” Mea said, in one of those strange moments of being considerate. Anise didn’t know her very well yet, but she was already getting a sense that the woman wasn’t all there. She wondered what might have happened to leave her that way, or if she’d just been born a little off. It was fine either way, as Anise rather enjoyed her company, scariness and all. They parted ways soon after and by the time she saw Mea again in the evening there was one less gang in the city.