Flashback Edge of nowhere (Kophesha)

[Karsynwa]

1st of Winter, 519 AV

It was from the deck of a Saique that Karsynwa first caught sight of Sunberth. The city, if it could even be called that, was sprawled out across the horizon in a haphazard fashion. Half of the buildings looked like they were ready to collapse at any moment. Karsynwa sighed in disgust as he strongly reconsidered if the eighteen day voyage had been even worth it. He’d expected it to be rough around the edges but this was pure chaos. A few of these houses looked like they just needed a stirring breeze to knock them down. Which was another thing that was lacking on this muggy morning.

The climate had made his last few nights aboard the ship almost intolerable, and had definitely had stolen some of his sleep of late. It would probably help if he took of his studded leather armor when he went above deck though that was out of the question given his present company. Future company as well when he recalled those Sunberthian smugglers he’d run into when he was fifteen. Nasty men with mismatched armor. They wouldn’t catch him with his pants down.

As they approached the dock the deck came alive once more forcing Karsynwa back under towards the forecastle. There he gathered his things and made sure that all of his straps were secure while he waited to disembark. Then he decided that if he didn’t like the rub of this city, there was always the return journey to Zeltiva a few days from now when this Saique disembarked. A call came out from up above. Karsynwa shifted uncomfortably until a sailor came down a few ticks later to gesture the passengers back above deck.

He shouldn’t have been surprised when there turned out to be no one to greet them as they stepped off onto the docks. Back in Riverfall each of them would have been given a map of the city with the laws clearly outlined on the back. Here though, he doubted these people even knew how to write, much less illustrate.

At a loss of where to go, he looked to his fellow passengers. He couldn’t quite tell if they were returning or new to the city because they seemed so similar to the Zeltivans. However, they seemed to be following a clutch of sailors which was a sound enough plan in Karsynwa’s opinion. If anyone was sure to have experience with the city it was them.

As they traveled along the dock, Karsynwa tried not to think about what it would be like to fall into the greasy water to either side of him. With the sun shining directly overhead there was a multicolored film across the top that he struggled to identify. There were also quite a number of sickly green plants just underneath the water that looked black with rot in a few spots.

Coming off the dock their road was a simple dirt track that was a little slick. Karsynwa took it slow to avoid slipping, not liking the residue it left on the bottom and sides of his boots. Fortunately for him the muck slowed down the group he was trailing equally so that they came together outside of what was probably one of the tallest buildings in Sunberth. Looking up at the rickety eyesore of an establishment, Karsynwa hesitated to go in.

Through the door he saw what he thought was the makings of a tavern. Then he looked around to see a number of narrow streets that he could take but no real idea where they would take them within this maze of a city. In the end, it hadn’t really been much of a choice about him stepping inside of the Drunken Fish. A name he only belatedly registered hanging over the door as he made his way around a couple of customers lingering around the entrance.

Scanning the room, he found that unfortunately all of the corner tables were taken. Most along the middle as well so he took a seat at the large bar. It wasn’t long before a woman with dirty blond hair and a smattering of freckles across her face came up to him from behind the bar. “Ale. How much?” Karsynwa said, while cautiously looking around at the patrons that milled about in his immediate vicinity.

“4 coppers for a cup, 2 silvers for a gallon.” She said, and Karsynwa saw that she didn’t seem very surprised by his paranoia. He narrowed his eyes slightly at that before reaching down the neck of his leather chest piece to access the coin pouch he wore around his neck. Producing four coppers, he dropped them into her waiting palm and watched as she quickly disappeared to grab a mug. With that done, Karsynwa drummed his knuckles on the top of the bar while he considered what exactly he was going to do with the rest of his day.

[Kopesha]

It had been a long, hard journey from Zeltiva to a town called Sunberth. Kopesha was travelling with a variety of merchants, guards, and other travelers such as herself. The leader of the caravan was a harsh, disciplined man, traits that Kopesha appreciated about him. She knew the dangers of the wilds from her time in Eyktol and traveling to this point. This particular land seemed a bit less harsh than Eyktol, with water a plenty and cover abound in which to hide should anything particularly dangerous came along.

Still, it was a newer land and not the one in which she was raised, so she couldn't let down her guard, and neither should anyone else. She had walked with the caravan for much of the journey, feet bare. When they had stopped to make camp, she hunted with others to provide fresh meat for everyone. There were no freeloaders on this journey.

But now, the caravan pulled in lazily through the west side of the town. The driver had instructed people who hadn't been to Sunberth before to ride in the wagons while in town, as he began to give a rundown. The native Sunberthians all left at their leisure, as the strict man looked at them most seriously.

"This town is lawless. You are on your own once we reach our destination here in a few. In this town, you will be robbed. You will be attacked. You may die. Either way, once you step off these wagons, you're no longer my problem. You've been warned. And if you cannot take this town, I will be leaving on the 45th at dawn and there may be some seats available, at the customary price."

Kopesha listened intently while also watching her surroundings as they went. This town was dirty, rundown, and almost had a wild feel to it. She was beginning to wonder if the wilderness outside the city might be safer. Bad vibes all around from here. She gave a quick, silent prayer to Eywaat and Makutsi to watch over her in this new, hostile territory. She listened as the caravan owner told them where all the places were to live, and she kept in mind that the Tent City was on the southern outskirts.

The caravan came to a stop outside of a tavern from what he said, "Alright, you all can get off here. Warm food and drink inside there, the Drunken Fish. I've got business to deal with. If you wish to leave, come with coin or don't come at all."

Kopesha slid down from her wagon, wrapping herself up in her feathered cloak, picked up her heavy, tightly bound pack, slipping it over her shoulders. She grabbed her bow case with one hand, turning toward the tavern door. Others were talking, making plans with each other, but Kopesha had made no such bonds on her journey. Her free hand slipped inside her cloak, resting gently on the handle of her knife, as she shouldered open the door to the tavern and stepped inside.

She was greeted by the loudness and warmth that could only come from taverns. While she was not particularly fond of cities, and the first impression of this one was not great, she did always enjoy taverns. They were warm, welcoming, usually had good food, and even if full of people, she could usually be left alone. Looking around, she saw a particularly buxom, and willing to show it off, woman in the lap of a very drunken man. The pair got up from a corner table, heading upstairs. She snickered, heading for the empty spot. She reached it just before another woman did, and shot the woman a look she used to give her husband when he was being an idiot.

The woman balked, then turned away, annoyance growing on her face. Kopesha set her bow and pack in the absolute corner, and picked the chair right in front of them. Her back was guarded, and she could see the room. And she relaxed, just a hair, as the barmaid came over, a woman with hair like dead grass and the weird dots on her face that northerners seemed to get.

"Already makin' friends I see. Girl's harmless anyways, crazy for foreign men. What can I get ya? Ale is four coppers, and we've got a rabbit and roots stew that's not so old yet for a couple silvers."

Kopesha looked up, unsmiling, nodded, "One each." She then pulled out the required coins, watching as the woman went to fetch her purchases. Kopesha listened to the room around her, hearing the typical things of a tavern, men talking about women they've had, sailors talking about their most recent journeys, blowhards and seductors, all the typicals. And so, just as the first sip of ale touched her lips, Kopesha relaxed a bit more. The town might be different, but taverns were always the same. And she almost smiled.

Until she tasted the old stew.

[Karsynwa]

Karsynwa grimaced as he took a sip of his ale. It tasted like someone pissed in it, and looking at this crowd, he wasn’t sure if that was an accident. For one thing he quickly noticed was the amount of looks he was drawing from the others at the bar. Sidelong looks that didn’t linger on him for long when they saw Lakan the hung off of his weapon harness. That, or the leather armor he was clad in. He couldn’t decide which. So long as they didn’t try anything, he didn’t much care either. Karsynwa wasn’t looking for a fight just off the boat.

It was because of that he decided to just push the mug away instead of starting something with the barmaid whom had serviced him. He swiveled around on his stool to take in the large room around him, and rested his back against the bar. Taking it all in, he could see more than a few people with collars around their necks, busy servicing a few of the other tables. Both sexes, though there seemed to be more women collared than men. There were also more than a few folks headed up the stairs with one of the slaves, or to the private rooms that had been sectioned off towards the back of the large room.

It didn’t take a massive leap of judgment to figure what they were after, or their particular flavor of it at this tavern. More than a few of these slaves wore more bruises then clothes and a part of him felt offended at that. Another part. A submerged part where his brother resided, agreed with the treatment. Finaewa even felt a twinge of satisfaction at sensing Karsynwa’s disgust.

He focused now on shutting out his brother while he looked over the rest of the crowd. Occasionally he caught a wary glance from a patron until finally he came across something interesting. A woman whom was clearly not a slave, nor human for that matter if his initial assessment of her features were correct. Her eyes were as black as her hair, and she had thick pads on the underside of her feet. If that wasn’t enough to tell her apart from the local color, her dress was also quite distinct from the glut of people she came in with, some of which seemed to be just as foreign to the area.

With interest he watched as she walked over to take command of a table, and smirked at the little altercation she had with the woman. Someone bumped into him. Karsynwa caught the man by the wrist before twisting it roughly. The movement forced the man to twist around or risk overextending his elbow. Karsynwa let go as the man yelped. “Keep off me.” He groused, and then grabbing his forgotten mug, tossed its contents in the man’s face when he turned to face him. The man fell back on his arse sputtering as Karsynwa stood up.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a couple of other men moving to stand up as he approached the would be pickpocket on the ground. Karsynwa hesitated, and then turned away. He walked instead towards the back corner where he had spotted the strange woman. Unfortunately he didn’t see any available seats, so he took a spot against the wall to lean against. “You new here too?” He asked as he watched the man get up off the ground, helped up by a couple of men. They shot him a few nasty glares which drew a toothy smile from Karsynwa as he gave them a small wave. He knew he shouldn’t provoke them, but he had some steam to let off after that incident with the pickpocket.

[Kopesha]

Spoon down in disgust, Kopesha returned to her ale, only now noticing across the common room, an Akalak man walking in her direction. As he approached, her free hand under the table moved toward the knife on her hip. She left it there to hover as he moved to lean against the wall, tossing a question her way. She followed his eye line across the common room, seeing the three sour men there. It seemed she'd missed something entertaining if their glares were anything to go by.

Her eyes found their way back up to his, seeing is big smile, she almost cracked one herself.

"Yes."

She saw the barmaid walking past, and Kopesha's knife hand slipped into her coin purse, bringing out a silver, holding it up between two fingers. The barmaid came over, all smiles, doing her best to not look at the silver, looking at the state of the food and drink. "Stew not to your liking?"

Kopesha nodded, and the barmaid grabbed the stew, "I'll find you something else, toss this back into the pot. Anything else hun?"

Kopesha pointed to her own ale, "Two. Chair." Then she handed over the silver, which the barmaid took readily. It wasn't long until there were two fresh ales and an extra chair.

Her Common wasn't as strong, as her native tongue, "We maked friends good," Kopesha said to her blue companion as she nodded at the recently arrived chair that sat opposite her, back exposed to the rest of the tavern. She could see the trio of men back at their table now, speaking rapidly and constantly shooting looks over at them. She raised her mug at them before taking a long draft, to finish the first so she could start on the second.

"I goed from Zeltiva to here. You?"

It was about that time when the woman Kopesha beat out to claim the table, and a few of her ladyfriends sat down at the same table as the men who were no fans of her compatriot. Their heads and mouths were moving so rapidly. Kopesha still couldn't believe that some people could talk so much, so quickly. She started on her second ale, wondering where that barmaid was with her food.

[Karsynwa]

Date, Season, Year

Karsynwa nodded slightly. His mind was still on those fools by the bar, wondering which of them was going to try something stupid first. He held out hope that the man’s companions were talking some sense into him. However, looking at this lot, he highly doubted that.

A woman walked by and the strange woman with black eyes stopped her. Karsynwa raised an eyebrow at the brief exchange but wasn’t about to argue out of the unexpected generosity. “Only us not human.” He mused aloud to fill the time between the barmaid leaving and returning. When she did, he turned his chair to the side so he could look from the woman to the group of miscreants easily. It left his back exposed to the staircase and bar, though that was simply a risk he was willing to take to keep that group in his sights. Also perhaps foolishly, he held out hope that this strange woman would warn him if he didn’t hear a man approach his blind spot.

“You too?” Karsynwa asked with a grin, taking a small gulp of his ale. It tasted no better this time but he didn’t want to turn down the free drink. At least that boded well for the idea that they actually hadn’t pissed in his ale, though judging by their treatment to outsiders so far, he couldn’t be too sure.

He was mildly surprised that she had come from Zeltiva as well. Must have came along a different route for him to have not run into her along the way. “Zeltiva too. Why come here?” He asked, fully realizing he probably didn’t know the answer to that question himself. At least not one that he could say comfortably in this company. Spying didn’t exactly blow over well wherever you went, even if it was just passive work for now.

Perhaps his halting common could help him here. Wouldn’t be expected to explain too much if he went with something simple. Karsynwa took another drink and cast a glance over at that table. He recognized one of the women in bunch as the one she had probably be referring to earlier. That one looked like a handful like some of the rescues they got fresh off the grass in Riverfall. More so in fact if she was cavorting with that crowd. It suddenly occurred to Karsynwa that he hadn’t introduced himself yet.

“Karsynwa” He said as he turned to look at her and gestured towards his chest. Then his eyes were back on the crowd at large. Things were quickly growing rowdy with the addition of the sailors and the crew the woman rolled in with. Some of the more energetic folks made their way upstairs however unfortunately most stayed. They seemed set on getting thoroughly drunk which wasn’t something Karsywa had seen so many people try to do at once. It made him slightly antsy to get out of this situation before the odds were against him. To steel his nerves, he polished off the rest of the ale in his mug.

[Kopesha]

Kopesha actually managed to snort into her ale at the human joke, the smallest flash of a grin obscured by her drink. At his following question about Zeltiva, she shrugged, setting down her drink, the grin gone. Looking him straight in the eyes, "Wind blows, I follow." She didn't offer a reciprocating question. It didn't matter to her why anyone traveled to anywhere. To keep moving was in her blood and there was no rhyme or reason. It simply was.

She continued to watch his eyes, catching that glance to the growing rabble that only looked like trouble to her. Her own stayed on the group as she listened to him say a word that could only be a name. Only then did her ebony eyes slide back on him, though her face continued to be pointed toward the group. "I Kopesha. Well met, Karsynwa. What you other name?" She wasn't especially well versed in the particulars of Akalak, but she knew each man came in pairs, so to speak.

Looking back now at the crowd, Kopesha knew it was now or never. She quickly drained her ale, setting the mug down. She stood, moving as quiet as she could, more out of habit than necessity, since the room was one of the noisiest locales in the city. She replaced her chair, grabbed her pack and was reaching for her bowcase, when her dark eyes widened at the sight behind Karsyn.

Reaching up, she grabbed her empty mug, and flicked it in Karsyn's face's general direction, wincing a bit as her aim was rather off. Still, it might serve as some form of distraction on the man quickly approaching the Akalak from behind. Kopesha dropped her pack back in the corner, stepping forward just as the barmaid arrived from the opposite direction, with what looked to be the same stew as before, and a piece of bread this time. A smack from her hand sent the stew flying across the room, splashing on the first man, catching him square in the gob.

It also burnt up Kopesha's arm real good, and the poor barmaid's bosom. Hissing, the Eyktolian slipped back down to grab her pack and case, slinging the first over both shoulders and the second carried in her left hand. Her right hand was gripping the still sheathed knife tightly, as she began to sidle toward the door, scooting around people, keeping her back toward the wall.

[Karsynwa]

Date, Season, Year

It turned out that he had been over thinking the whole thing when Kopesha gave an answer that almost made him chuckle. So it was. The road must have been long and hard for this one to have come to such wisdom. His own road had been trying in its own way. While he had used the Kabrin for most of it, that didn’t mean he hadn’t faced his share of dangers along the way. The perilous stretch along the sea of grass was rife with glassbeaks, grass bears, and monsters of a more humanoid variety. The wildlands had been a different beast altogether, though no less difficult.

What this all amounted to was the fact that while the flaws of this city were many, it was at least a reprieve from the wilds just beyond its border. However, Karsynwa was getting the uncomfortable feeling that maybe he had bitten off more than he could manage coming to this city. He knew it was widely regarded as lawless, but he hadn’t expected so much animosity after only a bell or so. His one comfort was the fact that he was not the sole object of their ire.

“Umtasrad” Karsynwa said slowly, sounding the name out in common. Pleasantly surprised by the question, he turned more of his focus on Kopesha. His last name didn’t mean anything in a place like this so he found it more than a little interesting that she’d asked for it.

There was little time to dwell on that however as Kopesha stood up. Karsynwa angled to do the same, but before he could manage she abruptly chucked a mug at his head. He managed to just barely duck the throw before standing up, tipping the chair backwards as he did so. Squaring up with the strange woman, he held his fists clenched before him while he waited for her next move.

However, Kopesha’s move didn’t make sense. She stepped away from the fight, away from him to lunge at a passing barmaid. His eyes flicked over to follow her movement to see the soup splash onto a man who cried out when its scalding contents covered his face. Wincing, Karsynwa realized his mistake. Or at least thought he did given the information he’d been provided. He was still in shock, so it was difficult to make sense of what was what in this scenario.

When Kopesha didn’t go for him and instead decided to grab her things before edging for the door, Karsynwa decided that she hadn’t been going for him. An not wanting to let his only ally in this place sidle out of the door without him, he quickly moved to follow.

Fortunately for them both, Kopesha’s little hot soup maneuver had distracted a good half of the tavern as the man continued to cry out. The gawkers edged forward from their tables to get a good look while Karsynwa slipped behind them while still heading for the door. His objective was to put as many bodies as he could between him and that group that seemed to have a vested interest in the pair. If that failed, he had another far more simple plan to dissuade them from any pursuit.

That group turned out to be more perceptive than he would have liked as he saw members of that table standing up as he and Kopesha made their way through the crowd. Tired of simply sidling through those who stood in his way, Karsynwa used his bulk to push himself out onto the street where he took in a deep breath through his nose. Grasping the hilt of his Lakan, he unsheathed it from his weapon harness as he turned to Kopesha. Now that he had a better angle on her, he could see where she was grasping her angle knife.

Karsynwa grinned. “You lead, or me?” He asked, giving her a few ticks to respond before moving towards either cause. If it was left up to him to lead, he would take a narrow alley off to the right of the inn, and then would venture down the first left turn. There he would turn to face at an angle the direction they had come from, his Lakan held in a firm underhanded grip.

If he was to follow her than he would do so, and simply suggest along the way. “One down. Rest run?”

[Kopesha]

Kopesha watched as her companion muscled his way through the crowd. And where he shoved and made room, she slid through, preferring avoidance and careful steps to weave through people as best she could. She managed to slip out the door just moments before Karsynwa. She turned to the door, almost in perfect step with Karsyn, and drew her own angle knife, a feral scowl upon her face. She saw his own blade drawn, and nodded at him, as she saw Sootay rubbing up against Karyn's leg, purring loudly. She knew the man wouldn't be able to see, feel, or hear her guardian, and she could only smirk down at Karsynwa's feet.

"My special raven, you've never been a follower."

She nodded, smirk fading now, "Me lead."

She turned, sheathed her knife, running the memory of her arrival through her mind as quick as she could. The caravan had entered through the west side of the city and traveled a large ways to reach this point. The driver had said that the tent city was to the far south of the tavern they stood before now. But she didn't wish to lead predators to a place she might potentially call home.

So she turned westward and began to run, tightening the straps of her pack to her shoulders to keep it from jostling as much. She was confident in how she'd packed it, having been on the road plenty. She heard the door slam open and shouts behind them and she could only smile down at Sootay, running next to her. Though, laden with her pack, malnourished from her journey and nomadic lifestyle, she was tiring faster than she liked.

Up ahead, she saw a rickety bridge as the road curved a bit northward, at an intersection with roads that split east and west. She chose north, across the extremely questionable bridge over a river that flowed west into the bay. She ran toward it, her lungs burning, her short legs struggling to carry her and her pack, but she pushed onward. She got to the bridge and her first step caused a lurch in her stomach as the rotten wood caved beneath her foot.

Stumbling, she hit the bridge hard, cracking several other pieces of wood, the breath crushed out of her. She was slow to push herself up, wheezing, unable to breathe. She managed to hiss out a single name in a prayer, "Makutsi..." mother of the river beneath her.

[Karsynwa]

He hadn’t realized how much he depended on seeing the whites of peoples eyes till he tried to tell where Kopesha was looking. It was a habit he had picked up spying for the Kuvay’Nas, and it was unnerving that the trick didn’t work on this strange woman. So when she smirked at something as they came out of the tavern, he just had to read it in a positive light. There was no room for any doubts right now with necessity forcing them together.

Letting her lead came surprisingly easy for him. Although he had been on his own for the past two seasons, the discipline of serving in the militia was breed into him. He could follow so long as she led him well.

Karsynwa noticed that she had sheathed her knife, and he did the same with his lakan. No need for him to garner any more attention than they already had after all. Both of them were already having haul full packs which would draw enough eyes as it was. It would also make it harder for them to get away, unless they got crafty about it. He had avoided straining himself for the most part aboard the ship, but now came the part where he was starting to wonder how she had come into the city. Maybe she wouldn’t have the stamina to outrun their pursuers. What did he do then?

Before he could muse on that further, the emerged out of the maze of alleys along a muddy stretch of flowing water. Kopesha immediately ran for a bridge to the north. He followed as best he could, though after a long voyage, he stamina was not what it once was. After a brief sprint, he found himself slowing to a jog that was more of a crawl as he clutched his chest for breath. While he wasn’t unhealthy, his travels certainly hadn’t lent him much time for running or otherwise keeping fit like he would have with time on his hands in Riverfall.

While he tried to catch his breath, he watched as Kopesha took the first step onto the bridge. The wood bent under her foot and Kopesha lurched forward to slam forward onto the wooden planks. Gritting his teeth, Karsynwa closed the distance between them and reached under her arms to help lift her up. If she didn’t bat him aside, he would do so gingerly while stepping around the portion that she had collapsed with her first step. It really was a lot more difficult than it should have been with the poor state of this bridge they were on. The wood creaking ominously with every step and forcing him to toe certain planks before he trusted his full weight.

Eventually they did manage to get to their feet, though the time they had wasted here had allowed their pursuers to catch sight of them again. Karsynwa spotted them near where they had only recently emerged and issued a loud grunt before gesturing in their direction just to make sure Kopesha saw them if she hadn’t already. He didn’t have the breath to spare for words now. Neither did she he figured after that tumble she took so he simply waited for the brief moment it took her to decide where to steer their course next.

Did they try to still cross this bridge, or hope there was a better spot to cross further north? Looking at this filthy river, he didn’t relish trying to ford it. Especially because he had no idea how deep it ran. So he left it up to her while he kept glancing sidelong at their pursuers.

[Kopesha]

Kopesha felt hands picking her up, helping her up, her prayer answered by the man from a city built around honoring Makutsi, at least it was built that way in her mind. She didn't fight it, but rather fought to get a leg beneath her and helped him to help her, getting upright, taking a look back the way they'd come from. She listened to her companion's warning grunt and only nodded, still sucking in air as her oxygen starved brain worked to figure out the next move.

The man from the river city had stepped up in Makutsi's name. Kopesha just knew she could put her faith in him, and in the moment. That meant the bridge could be trusted. So, she turned, and pulled him by the hand across, stepping confidently, no different than how she'd wade a river. Makutsi would watch over them. With each piece of wood that cracked and crumbled beneath them, Kopesha's confidence in her goddess grew, knowing that the the river mother was working extra hard for them.

And once they were across, Kopesha looked back at the approaching hoard, when a spray of water splashed upon the bridge, just where they'd stepped off. And that was more than enough of a sign for her to realize what needed done. She stepped close to the edge, holding onto Karsynwa for support, and began stomping on the rotten, deteriorated planks and supports. She kicked and kicked with the thick padded feet her people had, as the wood crumbled and splintered, until finally with a thundering crack, the entire structure slumped into the water and began to sink, much of the debris floating downstream toward the bay.

She thumbed her nose in the direction of the oncoming mob, winking before turning and pulling Karsyn. The group paused on the other side of the collapsed bridge, screaming obscenities, but their time in Kopesha's life was over and she just as quickly forgot about them. As she walked, in her native tongue she spoke in a small, deferential whisper. "Thank you River Mother for guiding me through the unknown and giving me the strength to endure it."

Once out of sight, and hopefully out of mind, of the mob, she dropped Karsyn's hand and turned to face him as Sootay climbed upon her shoulder to also stare at the man. "We find shelter. No know lay of land, danger move at night. Survive first."

While she didn't know their exact place in the city, she knew their location roughly from the tavern, where they entered the city from, and her destination to the south. It was important she didn't get lost, still working to keep her place in the world. But there was much that she didn't know about the spot she was in, and the most prominent of that is that they were in a heavily disputed neighborhood known as Stumble Alley. This area was constantly in conflict between the Daggerhand gang and a secretive vigilante group of sorts.

Looking up around her, she could make out signs but couldn't read them, in any of the languages she knew. She looked in the windows, seeing a candle flickering in the back. That shelter was occupied. "Keep move. Find empty door. Hide for night." She turned down the next corner, not realizing she was leading them into the deep labyrinth of Stumble Alley, with the reputation of not letting those who enter leave.

Meanwhile, from up above them, a woman watched them from a hidden vantage point, and slipped out of sight, to go report to her fellow Daggerhands that two marks had entered the area, both of whom carried expensive looking weapons.