She Sets out into the Land of Thieves

Christian and the others relaxed a bit, seeing Robin wouldn't explode into a one-man war path.

"Alright then... incidentally, what's the second kingdom which is troublesome?" Robin asked.

Everyone's faces turned a bit sour there.

"...That bad, huh?" Robin asked.

"The worst kind. The kingdom is called Valentia. Its current ruler is a tyrant queen who loves nothing more than to add beautiful men into her harem. Incidentally, it's also a country of human supremacists, who look down upon all non-humans as lowly beings." Keith shook his head.

"We will need to disguise ourselves well if we wish to get through unscathed." Keith scowled.

Robin sighed.

"In Robin's case, it should be easy enough. Just disguise yourself as a girl agai-" Christian paused when Robin scowled furiously at him.

"I will consider it. But I would rather not unless I had no other choice." Robin made perfectly clear.

"Oho? Robin in a dress, huh? Now that, I'd like to see." Keith smiled in mild amusement.

"Et tu, Uncle?" Robin clutched at her chest in mock despair.

"Well, we won't have to worry about that second kingdom for a while yet." Keith chuckled. "For now, we need to focus on getting through the land of Thieves unaccosted. otherwise, we won't be able to reach any of the remaining four guardians."

"And, for that purpose, here." Jasmine handed out several identical folded papers to the party.

"What's this?" Robin asked.

"It's a map of the route we're taking. If, at any point, we get separated, you are to follow this map down to the nearest checkpoint where we will all gather up. And, if you don't arrive there within a week, we will move on to the next checkpoint." Jasmine indicated.

"That's...handy." Robin agreed, placing it into her storage bracer.

"There's a reason why it's an autonomous region. The winds make flying overhead near impossible, as some of the winds are as sharp as blades. And the shifting sands make the footing unstable to the point where unless you have a guide, or stick to the main roads, you could very well end up stranded and sinking to your death." Keith said.

"Strategically, it's easy to defend due to many natural barriers. However, due to the nature of the area, it's hard to produce food crops outside of specific regions. Thus, the city developed to this point using that auction to draw merchants and customers."

"I see. So we really can only take this route then, huh." Robin nodded.

"Unfortunately, even teleport circles can't seem to get through this area." Jasmine agreed. "There's too much signal interference."

"I got it. I got it." Robin assured. "Lay low until we're through the area. Don't let anyone know that I am the hero. And if separated, head towards one of the checkpoints. I've memorized it, so no need to mother me any more." Robin joked. "What am I? A kid?"

"To mothers, you will always be their children, whether you want to be or not." Jasmine said in mock sternness. "But, you are right. I am not your mother. I'm your magic teacher, so you are my student."

"Yes, teacher~." Robin chuckled. The carriage continued on its way. But little did they know of the mess that was awaiting them in Djinn city...Well, all except one. Chelsea hummed a sea song to herself as she looked out the window through her blindfold.

"You seem to be in a good mood?" Liam asked, wondering what had lifted her mood.

"Oh, just thinking is all." Chelsea said. It was too bad she couldn't observe the meeting in person, but this person would do Robin a lot of good, so it couldn't be helped.

Destiny works in mysterious ways, but the power of prophecy was somehow at work there in the desert...

The usual greenery of the surroundings soon gave way to baren natural stone pillars. But soon after, even the stone pillars were replaced with rock piles and pebbles.

Up ahead of them, there was a small area of tents set up near the road.

"Ho? a nomadic town?" Robin asked.

"Hardly. This is the recruitment center for guides." Keith explained. "In order to safely cross the desert section, a competent guide is critical."

"And if they aren't competent?" Robin asked.

"Then you were either unlucky, or a bad judge of character." Keith narrowed his eyes towards the tents.

---

They soon joined the tail end of a caravan, which had several guards as well as a few lone folks hoping that there would be safety in numbers. They set out soon enough, as they were headed towards a small oasis where the group would spend the night.

One figure in particular liked to keep separate from the group, always wandering about the periphery. According to the make of the hood, it seemed to be some sort of beastfolk, as the ears clearly moved. Originally, Robin thought it was some sort of guard for the caravan, but even when they arrived at the oasis and set up camp for the night, the figure sat separately from the others next to their own fire.

When the next morning came, Robin noticed the figure was still sitting there, as if it hadn't moved. This piqued her curiosity. What sort of person was under the hood of that cloak? Even when the winds weren't blowing, there always seemed to be a breeze around the figure.

"It's best not to be too curious." Jasmine patted Robin's shoulder, noticing her eyes wandering towards the lone figure. "Some of these folks are outlaws that will cut your throat should you see their faces."

"I'm fairly confident in my ability to defend myself." Robin said.

"So you say, but if you cause trouble then we'll be the first bunch to be forced to leave the caravan." Jasmine explained. "There's a strict 'no trouble' policy."

"...Got it. I got it, okay?" Robin turned her head away from the mysterious figure.

The sun shone down brightly as the caravan moved on. The knights had placed temperature regulating cloth over the horses, to prevent them from overheating or getting too dehydrated. The carriage was also covered in one, to prevent the occupants from overheating.

All that could be seen was waves of sand, a dusty blue sky, and the occasional dried shrub or group of cacti.

"Actually...why hasn't the carriage sunk into the ground yet?" Robin asked. "I don't think that the shifting sands are that forgiving."

"The carriage was created for all terrains. Naturally there are enchantments created to aid it on the sands of the desert as well. You were gifted on of our most impressive carriages." Jasmine laughed.

"Wow. Another world's SUV." Robin joked.

"SUV? What is that?" Christian asked.

"Hmm...my world's version of this carriage?" Robin said, trying to think of an example. "Except the carriages are self propelled, so there's no need for horses."

"What? self propelled?" Jasmine's eyes sparkled. "I must know about this!"

"Well, there's not much to know." Robin replied, with a troubled expression. "I wasn't interested in them, so I didn't learn much about them."

"But, surely you can tell me how they were able to achieve that feat?" Jasmine asked, intent upon knowing.

"Er...well, in order to be self propelled, what do you think is necessary?" Robin asked her in return.

"Some sort of motive force, I suppose." Jasmine replied. "Which is why I am curious, what in heavens did you find to create that force?"

"You need a spinning power to move the wheels, yes." Robin nodded. "You need brakes to slow and stop the carriage, to prevent accidents. You also need a method of gaining new energy in case you need to move faster."

Robin didn't tell Jasmine the answer that earth had found. She just told Jasmine what functions she needed in order to create a moving horseless carriage. This world was brimming with clean air and a vibrant ecosystem. Robin didn't want to destroy it with air pollution like what was happening on earth.

...Well... currently, the world she could see was brimming to overflowing with sand and wind. Jasmine had begun making her calculations to herself. Robin sipped some travel tea as she stared out at the desert in thought. Did the wind barrier serve some sort of purpose that had yet to be found?

...Perhaps.