In Cryptid Village at night, Joe seized the guard through the prison bars, and the guard vainly pummeled Joe’s arms. Soon, the guard’s struggles ceased, and he slumped to the ground. After a moment, the guard's body ceased moving and collapsed to the ground. Avilyn was shocked, trembling with fear, as she voiced, "As a merchant, death visits us every day, but witnessing someone die slowly is entirely new to me."

Aldwin’s expression darkened as he said, "During the war between Renolva and Arguand, I saw many people die in horrific ways. It’s unsettling how creative humans can be in their cruelty."

Akibrus added, "If we were to meet our end today, all I desire is to take a few of those scoundrels down with me into the grave."

Meanwhile, in the street leading to the prison where Joe and the merchants were detained, Yory silenced another guard by choking him to death. Yory remarked, "Apologies, lad, but cutting your throat would spill too much blood in the street and alert your friends."

He effortlessly snapped the guard's neck, concealed the lifeless body in the shadows, and tucked it away inside an empty barrel.

Within the prison, a larger guard entered the room, discovered his deceased partner, and confronted Joe with fury, bellowing, "You want us dead, scumbag? Come here!"

The guard drew his sword and approached the merchants, who prepared for a fight. Just then, Estel noticed something behind the guard and gasped, "Heavens!"

The guard turned and saw Yory, who swiftly slit his throat. Blood flowed, and the guard fell to the ground. Yory quipped, "Did you miss me?"

Akibrus responded, "Yes, yes, we couldn't live without you. Now, free us!"

Yory retrieved the keys, unlocked the door, and freed his comrades. As they reached the entrance, he signalled for quiet. Joe assisted Aldwin while Yory and Akibrus guarded the way ahead. When they reached the village gate, Estel pondered aloud, "How are we going to open it without alerting half the village?"

Joe suggested, "We need a distraction, a big one."

Aldwin said, "There is their oil storage, they use it as an illuminant for medicine, and as grease for wagons and tools and torches, and it will burn faster than a long beard of a fool experimenter."

Aldwin was pointing to a big building holding above him a giant barrel. Yory said, "That will be good, everyone go to your carts and be ready, I will do the distraction and you take the chance and run with your carts and mine too to the gate."

Akibrus said with a serious impression on his face, "Don't die soon, lad, you are good company."

Yory chuckled softly and remarked, "Rest assured, Aldwin, I won't be meeting my end so easily." Aldwin wore a pained expression, a mixture of guilt for leaving Yory behind and discomfort from his own injury. Yory added, "Aldwin, my friend, you'll be reuniting with your family swifter than a dwarf's fiery outburst. Now, let's press on."

Joe said, "Later, but remember that you need to take me to the capital. So don't die."

Yory said with a smile, "Who's gonna kill me? Those thugs? I will live, now move."

The silence was shattered when a wooden arrow struck Avilyn’s left thigh. She fell to the ground, screaming, clutching the arrow that had pierced deep into her muscle and was bleeding profusely. Akibrus shouted, "Where!?"

Yory and everyone moved to the corner of the street to hide while Estel used a piece of clothing to cover Avilyn's thigh and hopefully stop the bleeding. Joe said while pointing to the top of the village's gate, "The bastard guard is up there, Yory, let's go and...."

Yory interrupted him, "They didn't alarm the guards, which means they don't have an alarming system in their post. I have to kill them before they bring their friends, and you need to go with everyone. I will take care of it."

Akibrus said, "Let's go! I will help Aldwin, and Estel will help Avilyn, and Joe, kill every bastard you find in the way."

Yory and the merchants separated, and the guards on the top of the gate were searching with their eyes where the merchants went. One of them said, "I told you three moons ago to put some alarms here, but you said that we didn't need it."

The other guard responded, "No one enters this village except some merchants here and there, and not even that much travelling to this village, so putting some alarms felt pointless because we kill everybody after one night soo... where are the two idiots that I sent moments ago? They should start the alarm so our friends come."

The second guard said while scratching his head, "Maybe..."

The guard stopped talking and fell from the edge to the ground, his head smashed from the impact of the falling. The other guard yelled, "W...ww..... WHAT HAPPENED!?"

The guard was scared and held his bow and said, "W..w... WHO IS THERE!?"

Yory was behind him and said, "You will die too."

The guard was startled, and Yory just pushed him to the edge. His leg slid, and the guard fell from the edge but held the edge with his hands, scared and in shock. He said, crying to Yory, "Please, let me live, and I will help you escape, please...!"

Yory laughed at what he heard and said, "How can you help me? I've never heard of a dead man helping someone."

The guard's eyes widened, and he started yelling while Yory kicked his head with enough power that made the guard lose his grip and fall with his screams to his demise. He smashed his head with a big impact to the ground and died. Yory said, "Now the distraction we seek, that big building with that big wooden barrel of oil is my target."

Where the carts were kept, Joe cut some thug's throat and pushed him away. Then he said to the merchant, "It's clear, to your carts now. Aldwin, you can ride your cart, Estel, ride your cart with Avilyn, Akibrus, your cart, and I will ride Avilyn's cart."

Aldwin got up his cart and said, "What about Yory's cart?"

Joe said, "His horse is well trained, he will follow us."

Meanwhile, Yory was at the top of the gate and said, "Time for some festival mood." Yory wiped his hands, and a big flame came from his hands, pointing it to the big barrel far away, and said, "BURN!"

The flames burst out and started moving fast to the big oil barrel. BOOM! The barrel exploded, and the fire covered the building and some houses.

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Thugs started screaming and calling for help to put out the fire. Then Yory said while holding his right hand, pointing to the wheels holding the gate, "Earth magic: ağırlıq."

The wheels ripped out from their place and flew to some nearby houses, crushing their roofs without the wheels. The gate fell to the ground with loud noises. BOOM! Every thug in the village heard it.

Joe and everyone saw the fire and started moving to the gate. Yory went down from the top to the ground, and that's when he saw Joe and everyone running in their carts. When they saw Yory, smiles were on their faces with their friend alive and well. They kept moving, and Yory waited for Boris.

When his carts were near him, Yory jumped and caught his cart and entered it.

The thugs were busy with the fire, but one of them shouted, "Our comrades are dead, and the prisoners escaped! What are we going to do?"

The leader said with anger eating his face, "Free the magic wolves. Let them enjoy their food and let the prisoners suffer for killing our brothers."

At the same time, Yory and the rest of the merchants were in their carts, desperately running to save their lives.

Then Yory sensed something coming their way. Joe looked behind him, his eyes widened, and he shouted, "Everyone, wolves are chasing us!"

Yory glanced back and said calmly, "Keep moving."

The merchants urged their horses to run faster, while Yory left his horse to move on its own and went to his cart on the opposite side, positioning himself to face the approaching wolves while holding his hands at the ready.

Akibrus and Joe glanced behind them and were astonished when Yory chanted, "Fire magic: alveolar."

Flames erupted, engulfing the pursuing wolves and burning them alive. The wolves ran and rolled over the grass in vain, their bodies reduced to charred remains by the fire.

Joe and Akibrus were left in awe at what they had witnessed. Joe exclaimed, "You can use magic? Fantastic! We are alive!"

Yory and the rest of the merchants continued their journey towards Quinn village.

The mysterious woman arrived in the village and took in the surrounding chaos. After paying the innkeeper, she entered her room and noticed a familiar scent. She mused, "Yoranios was here too. I want to catch up with him if possible. I didn't like this village; it looks like a war happened here and its people's rude behaviour. Also, the inn is expensive for a one-day rest, but such is the life of a merchant, I suppose."

In the centre of the village, the leader seethed with anger upon learning of his thugs' failure to capture the merchants. He grumbled, "Idiots! Now we have to escape the village before the royal guards arrive and make our lives difficult, all because you couldn't catch those bastards."

After a few moments, one of his comrades entered the room and said, "Sir, you won't believe it, but the merchant who arrived today has a substantial amount of money in her carts, along with gold and many pieces of jewellery."

The leader smiled with a sinister grin and declared, "That's our ticket. Kill her and secure the carts and money we stole for a fresh start. Move!"

At night, the mysterious woman was engrossed in reading a book about dragons. She sighed and commented, "No wonder a human wrote this; it's filled with foolish ideas and false information. Next time, I'll have to scrutinize my purchases more thoroughly, even if they seem interesting."

At the same time, the inn owner anxiously awaited the arrival of the thugs. When they finally appeared, he addressed them with a stern expression, saying, "Don't fail, and be fast so we can escape this cursed village."

Meanwhile, Yory and the merchants arrived at Quinn village, surprising the guards with their speeding carts. Akibrus urgently shouted to them, "Get us a nun; we have injured people here!"

One of the guards promptly sprinted away, while Joe tended to Aldwin, who was bleeding from his reopened injury. Estel assisted Avilyn in getting out of the cart. Akibrus inquired, "Yory, can't you use healing magic, my friend?"

Yory replied, "No, just some simple magic." Akibrus nodded in understanding and went to assist the others. Yory pondered, "I can use healing magic, but it's designed for demons. I don't know its full effects on humans; I might end up harming Aldwin or Avilyn if I use it."

Joe made a plan, saying, "We'll rest here for a day, then we'll start moving. Yory, I'm going to report Cryptid Village to the royal guards so they can deal with those scumbags. See you later."

Yory nodded and proceeded to find a secure spot to store their carts.

Back at the inn, the thugs stood outside the mysterious woman’s room, exchanging glances before opening the door. The woman, absorbed in her book, looked up to see three heavily armoured men staring at her. She remained composed and spoke with a low voice, "I suggest you leave, lads. I don't require room service, and the prices here aren't all that enticing."

One of the thugs, who appeared to be the leader of the group, was captivated by the woman's beauty. He stammered, "Lads, leave this to me. This is my chance to meet a beautiful woman."

His partner questioned, "Meet? What do you plan to do?"

The leader smirked and said with a wicked grin, "The boss ordered us to kill her, but I have some extra plans." He winked at his comrades.

His partner urged, "Let's go, my friend. Leave him to his business. We'll wait for you at the end of the hallway."

They exited the room, leaving the leader alone. He closed the door and turned to the woman with a sinister smile, saying, "These situations typically end with you cooperating. Maybe I'll save your life, or perhaps I'll have some fun and then kill you. What's your opinion?" He laughed heartily.

The mysterious woman also chuckled at his words. Suddenly, a cold chill filled the room. The leader noticed that her chair and bed were completely frozen, unable to move or melt.

Panicked, he tried to flee, but the door had frozen shut and wouldn't budge. Terrified, he turned back to the woman, who regarded him with disgust. She remarked, "You should have kept your friends with you."

The leader, paralyzed by the cold, struggled to move but was gradually frozen in place. He attempted to scream, but his throat froze, and he ultimately met his demise as if turned into a lifeless, frozen statue.

Meanwhile, the inn owner continued reading while waiting for someone to descend the stairs. He teased, "Took you long enough. Did you fancy the lady or something?" He chuckled and resumed reading.

The inn owner was taken aback when he heard the mysterious woman laugh. He turned to see her approaching his reception desk, and in his astonishment, he dropped his book, nearly stumbling to the ground. The woman inquired, "What book are you reading?"

The owner stammered, "I swear, they're forcing me to do this. I'm just an innocent man. Please believe me."

After walking past his reception office, the mysterious woman questioned, "Where is my cart?"

The owner, with a strained attempt at innocence, replied, "They put it in the centre of this village. I can take you to it and prove that I'm a good person." He reached for a hidden dagger in one of his chairs, continuing, "Milady, I am at your service..."

As he brandished the dagger and moved menacingly with a wicked smile toward the woman, he found himself immobilized. Shocked by the turn of events, the mysterious woman remarked sternly, "You wanted to kill me, but I had no intention of harming you. You can't even move. Let me ask you this: where's that smile you had when you were charging at me with your little dagger?"

The owner, unable to speak, watched in horror as the ice crept over his body. He was taken aback by the woman's eyes, which resembled those of a wild beast or a magical fiend. The last thing he saw before becoming an ice statue was the woman turning and leaving the inn.

Meanwhile, Yory was inside a room of the inn in Quinn village when he sensed something amiss. He got up from his bed, approached the window, and gazed out at the village. He muttered, "I recognize this power, this formidable presence, this type of magic... it is..."

In the morning, just outside Cryptid village, the lord of the Dorment region stood with a small army, which he had assembled to confront the reported thugs controlling the village, responsible for theft, killings, and other atrocities. As they arrived, the lord was shocked by what he witnessed. His right-hand advisor said, "My lord, we've called for our wizards to assist us with this perplexing situation."

Despite his astonishment, the lord managed to speak, "Heavens, what in Vonturius's curse is this?"

Cryptid Village was frozen solid. Every street, house, cart, and window had turned to ice. The army entered the village and found statues of people encased in ice. The statues were so hard that they didn't even shatter upon impact. The noble declared, "There are only a few entities capable of such magic: an ice fiend typically found in the ice kingdom, a powerful witch or wizard, or the most logical explanation, which is..."

Back to Yory, who wore a grave expression as he muttered, "What is a person with powers like this doing in the Renolva kingdom? I'm certain that this kind of power belongs to one type..."

The mysterious woman continued her journey, riding her cart, her eyes still bearing the appearance of a wild beast, scanning the road ahead with pride and determination.

Simultaneously, the lord of the Dorment region and Yory exclaimed the same sentence, "It's a DRAGON, A HOLY DRAGON!"