"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I HAVE TO GO WITH HIM?" Elain yelled, glaring at Talfryn. They had just about wrapped up the meeting. Eric was sitting in one of the chairs, nursing the fresh bruises he had gotten from Siana's football tackle. Siana herself had long since vanished somewhere, and Talfryn was currently going over a list of duties.

"First of all, Elain," Talfryn said patiently, "We need more food, unless you'd like to starve. Second of all, we need someone to keep an eye on Eric, in case he runs off."

"Wonderful. It feels so nice, knowing I'm trusted here." Eric commented sarcastically.

Talfryn turned his patient gaze onto Eric. "And third, because I feel some bonding between us would be nice. Considering the fact that we are a team."

Elain groaned. "Than why don't you go with him? Does it look like I want to go wander around outside for two hours, buying groceries?"

"I'm putting the finishing touches on our first job," Talfryn explained, "That we'll be doing tonight, by the way."

"Wait, are you serious?" Elain exclaimed, her previous annoyance at Eric vanishing, "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"Mostly because I only really managed to think up most of it today," Talfryn said apologetically, "But trust me, this plan will work. I'll explain it once you, Siana, and Eric return.".

Elain sighed. "Fair enough. Alright, let's get this over with. Come on, Eric.". Without another word, she got up and headed for the door.

"Wait." Eric said. Elain paused, exhaled, and turned around. "What?" she asked.

Eric gestured at his torn, filthy clothing. "In case you didn't notice, I kind of need some new clothes."

"This clothing itches." Eric complained, clawing at the collar of his shirt with one hand. Before they had left, Talfryn had tossed some clothing his way. He now wore a plain brown jacket, white shirt, brown trousers, and leather boots.

The clothing wasn't in the best condition, but it was still much better than the filthy clothing Eric had been wearing earlier.

It also itched about ten times more.

"Get used to it." Elain muttered, not bothering to even glance his way. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing earlier, but she also had her wooden staff in one hand.

Eric, meanwhile, appeared to have been delegated to the duty of shopper, because Elain had tossed him two large, leather bags before they left the house.

They were currently walking through the city slums, and Eric had to be honest, but his intial opinion on Carnasca wasn't very good. All around him, the streets were flithy, and most of the houses looked to be in various stages of disrepair. It was still the afternoon, yet the only people Eric saw on the streets were the occasional begger.

''City sure doesn't seem as impressive from the inside as it does from the outside.'' he commented. Elain shrugged. ''Yeah. Carnasca's been going downhill recently. Capital city of Allaria, but it's honestly going down the drain. Half the nobility are corrupt, and Carnasca has the largest criminal underworld in all of Allaria.''.

She extended her staff into the distance, pointing at the glimmering white castle, large enough that it could still be seen over the rooftops. ''Royal family doesn't really care what happens to the lower class. I think they've been thinking of tearing down the slums, in all honesty, but they're too lazy to get around to doing it.''.

Eric frowned, digesting this new information. It seemed that every passing minute he spent in this new world caused his perception of it to change, and not nesscarily for the good. ''Huh. Sounds great.'' he commented.

Elain shrugged. ''We get by, I guess. Better than a good chunk of people in this city.''

''Oh, right, about that. Can I ask you a question?'' Eric asked curiously.

Elain gave him a look. ''Depends on the question.'' she replied carefully.

''It's about your past life as an adventurer,'' Eric began cautiously, ''Like, what was it all about?''.

Elain raised an eyebrow. ''Do you really think that's the kind of thing I'd just tell someone I met less than a day ago? I really prefer to not think back on it.''

''Of course, sorry.'' Eric said nervously, ''Alright, I uh, have a couple other questions too.''

Elain shrugged. ''Shoot.''

''Alright. First of all, what you did to me, when you guys kidnapped me....that was magic, right?''

Elain gave him a funny look. ''Of course it was. What else would it be?''

''Right. Good to know. How does it work?'' Eric asked.

Elain stared at him. ''You're being serious right now?''. ''Very.'' Eric replied. Elain stared at him for a moment longer, like she was trying to figure out if he was messing with her or not, before sighing.

''Guess it doesn't really matter whether I tell you or not. Alright, listen up. I'm going to make this as brief as possible. Magic users, like me, cast magic by manipulating Mana. Mana is a sort of energy source that exists all around us, in this world. Magic users are able to shape Mana into various spells. Magic isn't something that anyone can learn. You're born with it, or you aren't. There are two types of magic: Talents, and Affinity. A Talent is usually a single, unique ability, something that is usually specific to the person with the Talent, though sometimes Talent abilities will share similarities. Affinity, however, is the ability to cast a wider variety of spells. The difference with a Talent is that the spells created and cast by one Affinity user can very easily be taught and cast by other Affinity users, as long as they are storng enough to be able to actually manipulate enough Mana to cast the spell.'' Elain finished, rattling off the speech like she just wanted to get it over with, ''There's a bit more to it, but thats all you really need to know, for now.''.

''R-right.'' Eric took a few moments to digest this information, before speaking again. ''So, you have an Affinity, than?''

Elain nodded. ''Pretty much, yeah. I'll be honest and admit I'm a bit below average, but I can cast most beginner spells, so I'm not useless in a fight.''.

''Right. And you used spells to kidnap me, right? Which ones?'' Eric asked. He was finally starting to understand what was going on, with this new world. He was now extremly grateful for all the fantasy stories he had read. ''I know you used a sleep spell on me, but how did the three of you sneak up on me? Teleportation? Invisibility?''

''Invisiblity, as well as something else.'' Elain said promptly, with a hint of pride in her voice. ''The spell is called Silence Field. It's my newest spell, and I wanted to test it out. It let's me cover a small area with an invisibility field, but I can also prevent any sound from leaving the field as well. It's how the three of us were able to sneak up on you.''.

''Huh. Neat.'' Eric commented, ''Does anyone else have magic in your group? Like Talfryn?''.

''Yeah, Talfryn's got magic too. Not like mine though, his is a Talent, not an Affinity. And don't ask me what it is, he likes to keep it secret. Ask him yourself, if you're really that curious on it.''.

''Gotcha.'' Eric said.

They walked the next few minutes in silence. They had been walking for around five minutes now, and the surroundings around them were gradually improving. Buildings seemed to be in better condition, and he could see more people on the streets, walking around or minding their own buisness. Most of them were dressed in similar clothing to him and Elain.

''We're in the Living District of Carnasca, now.'' Elain said, ''You'll see more people when we enter the Shopping District.''

''Alright, fine with me.'' Eric said, before deciding to use the oppurtunity to talk some more. ''So, Elain, you from around here?''

Elain gave him another look. ''Remember what I told you about not pressing my life as an adventurer?''

''Yeah, but-,'' Eric didn't get to finish his sentence before Elain stopped, turned, and stepped up to him, looking him fact to fact. It was than that Eric realized how tall she really was. He himself was a bit above average height, around 6 feet even, and Elain was tall enough to look him eye to eye.

''The same applies to my personal life. I already told you, I'm not in the mood to share anything personal with you until I'm sure you aren't going to just backstab all of us. Got it?'' the look she gave him practically dared him to protest.

Eric nodded. ''R-right.''. Elain nodded, before stepping back, relaxing slightly. ''Good, now come on. We don't have all day.'' she turned and headed off, leaving Eric with no choice but to follow.

The Shopping District was quite busy during the afternoon. The houses in the district were in much better quality than the houses in the slums or the Living District. Eric could see a variety of shops, as well as several stalls. A thick crowd milled around the place.

''Alright, here we are. Stay close, and tell me if you see any guards.'' Elain muttered, nervously darting her eyes around.

''Uh, why?'' Eric asked curiously. He gave a quick glance around the crowded district, but could see no one that looked like they could be a guard.

''Well, me, Talfryn, and Siana are all sort of criminals, in case you forgot'' Elain explained, ''Not like, extremely bad ones!'' She added quickly, upon noticing Eric's horrified look, ''The city isn't going to go out of their way to watch us, but the city guard know what the three of us look like, so we usually try to stay out of their way.''

''Alright, good to know, I guess. But is it really safe for you to just be out here?'' Eric asked, now anxiously glancing around.

''Here? Sure, it's not a huge deal. The city patrols here often enough, but we can usually just blend right in, so it isn't a big deal. Anyways, that's beside the point.'' She reached into her pocked, pulling out a small, leather pouch. Something jingled in it as she opened it.

''Alright, let's see.....60 silver. Not a lot, but it should be enough. Here. You can hold the money, as well as the shopping list." She passed both over to him.

Eric glanced down at the list. It had a bunch of basic groceries on there, and he actually recognized most of the food, with a few exceptions. ''What's uh.....a silverback trout?'' he asked.

Elain gave him a glance, than sighed. ''Ugh. Forgot that you don't know anything here. Give me that.." She snatched the shopping list from out of his hands. "Alright, follow my lead."