Tension fills the air as they spot a woman dressed in a black dress and hat. She effortlessly enters the barricade and begins to approach them, prompting their heightened apprehension.
"Why is she here?" Asher asks, clearly puzzled by the unexpected presence of the woman in black.
"Do you know her, Asher?" Estoria asks, hoping for some information on the mysterious woman's identity.
"Yeah, she's Number 6," Asher confirms, a hint of fear in his expression, suggesting that this encounter is far from ordinary.
"Number 6?" Tyrion questions, clearly perplexed by the reference, seeking an explanation.
"I'll explain later, but for now, let's come up with a new plan. We don't have an hour for Asher to break the barricade slowly," Estoria suggests in a hushed tone, addressing the need for a quicker solution given the unexpected presence of Number 6.
"Alright," Tyrion agrees, acknowledging the need for a swift change in strategy.
"What are you guys whispering about, leaving me out, hmm?" Number 6 sits down in front of them, pouting and displaying an air of curiosity.
"Well, now all of you are being quite quiet, aren't you? But who was it that was so diligently trying to take control of my barricade? I had to come in to see you for myself," Number 6 remarks, her tone holding a mix of curiosity and amusement.
'Asher's fear is indeed unusual. It might be best to be cautious and not reveal any information about him.'
"Stay silent," Estoria cautions both Asher and Tyrion.
"Oh, you must be the one then, taking the lead and remaining composed in this situation. Do I not intimidate you?" She fixes Estoria with a menacing gaze, probing for a reaction.
"No," Estoria replies resolutely, maintaining her composure and refusing to show fear, knowing that it's essential to keep Asher from getting more scared.
"I can see you're having a good time. You're definitely one of a kind," Number 6 laughs.
"Since we're friends now, I'll let you in on why I'm here. You see, my boss keeps hounding me about Number 7, insisting that I find out what happened to him. But why do I have to be the one to do it?" Number 6 chatters away.
"I can't defy our boss's directives, so that's why I find myself here, shadowing the royal family, attempting to gather information about Number 7. But you know how I am, I tend to get bored if I don't spill some blood," Number 6 confesses nonchalantly.
"I was contemplating taking one of you out and setting up a barricade, but you didn't give me much time to decide by meddling with my barricade," she continues, maintaining her eerie composure.
'Isn't it quite interesting how villains often reveal their plans to their enemies, even when it seems counterintuitive. Perhaps it's a manifestation of their loneliness, a desperate need to share their thoughts with someone. However, as I wisely mentioned, it's generally not a sound strategy to disclose crucial information to one's adversaries.'
"Are you still listening to me, Estoria?" She gazes at her with a menacing expression, as if ready to strike her at any moment.
"Yeah, go on," Estoria says as she also decides to take a seat.
"Estoria..." Tyrion looks at her in shock.
"She knows who you are; it's dangerous, Estoria. You have to get out of here," Asher whispers into her ear.
"Don't you see us talking to each other?" Number 6's smile fades.
"Who is that kid, Estoria? Is he close to you?" She asks her.
"Don't mind him; he's just scared,"
'I won't be giving you any information about Asher to you.'
"Oh, did I scare you, kid? Don't be scared; I don't like killing kids, so you're safe," Number 6 smiles again.
Asher grabs Estoria's hand and pulls her behind him.
'What is Asher thinking, trying to be at the center of attention when she's only here for him?'
"This kid isn't an ordinary kid, is he? He knew I was about to kill you." She gets up, laughing as if they have just told her the funniest joke ever.
"Uh, Estoria, this isn't looking good," Tyrion also backs up.
Asher gets in front of Estoria to protect her, trembling.
"Asher, I know you want to protect Estoria, but it's dangerous," Tyrion gets in front of Asher.
"What do you think you're doing in front of me? I don't care who protects who; I'll still kill you if you get in my way. And since Estoria is at the end, looks like you both are ready to die," Number 6 takes out her daggers from her dress pockets.
'She had pockets in that dress? they have a strange blue aura.'
'Anyways this is why I wanted to be strong. How am I going to just watch her kill them in front of me? Think, Estoria, there has to be something you can do here.'
"Don't worry, I can still win. I'm stronger than her. I won't let her harm you or Uncle Tyrion," Asher says, sometimes he speaks as if he can read her mind.
"Are you sure you can do it?" Estoria grabs his hand to calm him down.
*Kling!* The sound of blades clashing suddenly fills the air.
Number 6 attacks Tyrion, but Tyrion skillfully blocks her attack with his sword.
"I won't be able to block her for long. Her daggers are imbued with her mana; my sword will break first," Tyrion explains as he continues to fight her.
"Mama Blast!" Asher throws Number 6 away with a powerful gust of white wind that he shoot out of his hand.
"Asher, you fight with your mana too?" Tyrion looks at him with surprise.
"Yeah, now get close with Estoria. I'm going to put a barricade over you guys," Asher quickly explains.
"What about you?" Estoria asks Asher, concerned for his safety.
"I can fight her, but I won't be able to if I had to protect you both too," Asher says with confidence this time.
"Make sure you win!" Estoria shout to him, trying to rally his spirits.
"I can't believe I have to hide behind a kid. Asher, please don't get hurt," Tyrion says as he gets closer to me, his concern evident.
"I'll win, and also, barricades are meant for protection, not for trapping," Asher says as he puts a barricade over them.
"We can't even see him from here," Estoria says out loud, worried about Asher's safety as he faces Number 6.
"I believe in him. He did look scared, but he was confident he would win," Tyrion assures her, trying to instill some confidence.
"Well, since we are alone here, I'll explain Asher's situation to you, but you better keep it to yourself," Estoria says to Tyrion in a hushed tone.
"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul about it," Tyrion agrees, keeping the secret safe.
Estoria explains Asher's situation and how they came to this point, carefully omitting the details of their own secret missions.
"I see why you wanted to keep this a secret. If someone hears about this, Asher wouldn't be able to move so freely and would be put in jail until we get information out of him," Tyrion acknowledges, understanding the need for secrecy.
"Now that you're aware of it, promise not to betray us once we're out of here," Estoria warns Tyrion.
"I won't, I promise. Asher also saved my life too," Tyrion assures her, solidifying his loyalty.
Asher appears in front of them again as his barricade comes down.
'He looks unscathed. Thank God if he exists.'
Relief washes over them as they see that Asher is safe.
"Um, but Asher, what happened here?" Tyrion asks, his eyes widening as he takes in the surroundings blasted away to nothing.
There is not a single tree in their sight, and the ground looks like it's been through some serious upheaval. The aftermath of the battle is evident in the barren landscape.
"I... accidentally used too much mana, so I don't know what happened to the carriages or Number 6," Asher admits, avoiding Tyrion's gaze, clearly feeling responsible for the chaotic aftermath.
"Our carriages... wait, where are the carriages and the horses?" Tyrion panics, realizing they are missing. The situation grows more dire as they discover their means of transportation vanished.
"Asher, just how much mana do you have?" Estoria asks, noting the extent of the damage to the land, which must have required a substantial amount of mana to cause.
"I don't know either. I have never experienced mana depletion," Asher answers, leaving Tyrion's jaw to drop in astonishment.
"Asher, you know this is not normal, right?" Tyrion asks Asher seriously, concerned about the unprecedented use of mana.
"I know. What do you want me to do about it?" Asher sighs, feeling the weight of the situation.
"Well, I'm just glad you're safe, Asher," Estoria says, patting his head with a relieved smile.
"So, how many numbers are there? Is Number 1 the strongest?" Tyrion asks, seeking to understand the hierarchy of the Numbers.
"I told him everything," Estoria admits, noting the surprise on Asher's face. It seems like it's time to reveal more secrets.
"There are only 7 Numbers, or were, since I'm not Number 7 anymore," Asher continues explaining.
"Number 6 is the strongest after me, since the higher the number, the stronger the person is," Asher clarifies, providing insight into the numbering system's significance.
"So, you're the most formidable one among them?" Tyrion seeks confirmation.
"Yes, based on our abilities," Asher affirms.
"I can tell," Estoria remarks, noting how Asher handled the situation with relative ease during the encounter with Number 6.
"It's a challenging situation indeed. Traveling without our carriages or horses is a concern, and the safety of the others is uncertain," Tyrion reflects, addressing the practical difficulties of the current circumstances.
"Tyrion, take a look at this," Estoria bursts into laughter.
"What's so amusing?" Asher inquires, curious about the source of her laughter.
"The part where you placed us in the barricade still has green grass on it," Tyrion laughs uncontrollably, finding humor in the peculiar details of their predicament.
"So? I don't get it?" Asher couldn't find it funny.
"Tyrion, check this out. There's even a little flower here," Estoria points to the small flower while continuing to chuckle, enjoying the absurdity of the situation.
Both of them laugh as if it's the end of the world, or perhaps, in this situation, it really is.
"Seems like you're both quite entertained by this scenery," an unexpected voice interrupts them.
They all turn to see, and unsurprisingly, it's the redhead with Sebastian.
"Your Highness, what on earth happened here?" Sebastian inquires, clearly taken aback by the bizarre and surreal landscape that surrounding them.
"There's a horse that made it out alive!" Tyrion exclaims excitedly, rushing over to embrace Aluxio's horse.
"My vomit saved it," Estoria quips with dramatic flair.
"I'm not sure what kind of screenplay you two are composing, but could you please explain what happened here?" Aluxio inquires, seeking an explanation for the unusual situation.
"And why did it take you the entire day to clean yourself?" Tyrion counters with his own question, skillfully deflecting the need to explain our situation.
'It seems like I might have to craft yet another creative story to divert the conversation and keep our current predicament under wraps.'
"The plane crashed here," Estoria blurts out without thinking, inventing a scenario to explain the strange surroundings.
"Plane?" Aluxio looks at her with confusion since he likely doesn't know what planes are, given the setting of this story.
'I'm currently not experiencing much creative inspiration.'
"I actually meant to explain that we were ambushed by a group of thieves, and they had a mage among them. They used a barricade to trap us within this circle. While we were inside, we couldn't see anything that happened outside. When the barricade finally dissipated, we found ourselves in this peculiar situation. It appears the thieves were more interested in our carriages and possessions, so they didn't harm us," Estoria crafts a new narrative feeling a bit more creative this time.
"That's quite a detailed account," Aluxio remarks, appearing somewhat bewildered by the elaborate story.
"Your Highness, is this the actual account of what happened?" Sebastian questions, his expression revealing a hint of skepticism, as if he's not entirely sure about the story.
"Yes, she explained it quite accurately," Tyrion comes to her defense, reinforcing the narrative that she provided.
"But why did they cause this destruction to the land?" Sebastian inquires, seeking an explanation for the inexplicable changes in the environment.
"We're not entirely sure ourselves since we couldn't see what was happening outside. Perhaps there was some dispute among them?" Estoria suggests, offering a plausible reason for the chaos.
"It's reassuring that they didn't harm you, Estoria," Aluxio expresses, relieved that her safety was preserved regardless of the circumstances.
"And I was here as well, my dear brother, whom I've spent 19 years with," Tyrion adds highlighting his presence in the situation.
"You were trained to fight, so it would have been quite disappointing if you had lost to a group of thieves," Aluxio remarks, recognizing Tyrion's combat skills.
"I'm not entirely sure if that was meant as a compliment," Tyrion questions with a hint of uncertainty, interpreting Aluxio's remark.
"I'm feeling rather drowsy, Estoria," Asher mentions, gently grabbing her dress sleeve, indicating his fatigue.
"Aluxio, do you happen to have any blankets or coats in that suitcase of yours?" Estoria asks, as Aluxio's clothes in his suitcase survived since he took it with him to the river.
"I only have some of my clothes in here. My other belongings were in the carriage," Aluxio explains, realizing that his possessions are also missing.
"Just give me your coats or blazers," Estoria requests.
"Alright, I have a coat on me," Aluxio hands her his long white fur coat.
Estoria lays the coat down on the patch of green grass that miraculously survived.
"Go ahead, Asher, take a nap while we work on figuring out our situation."
Asher rolls up in the coat and swiftly drifts off to sleep, taking the opportunity to recharge his energy.
"Estoria, that's not why I handed it over, and it was rather expensive," Aluxio remarks, expressing concern about his costly coat being placed on the ground.
"I'll purchase it from you. How much are you asking for it?" Estoria asks the redhead in a serious tone.
"Forget it," Aluxio sighs, deciding not to sell the coat after all.
"Your Highnesses, the hunting team has returned as well," Sebastian informs them, bringing attention to the return of the hunting party.
"That's right, we still had the horses sent with the knights. It seems that was a wise decision," Tyrion remarks, expressing his satisfaction as he affectionately embraces each of the horses.
Tyrion informs the royal knights of their current situation and they decide to travel on the horses instead of waiting for new carriages to arrive.
Given their proximity to the South, they planned to acquire a carriage once they enter the region's border town.
With everyone having had their late lunch, or perhaps early dinner due to the late hour, they set out to the south again.