Ash's dagger was in a sheath that was strapped at the small of her back, placed in such a way that it would be out of the way of the rest of her gear. She gripped the hilt of the blade more as the stranger spoke, unsheathing it ever so slightly so that it would be ready in case she needed it. It wasn't meant for throwing, and she'd be more than foolish to throw away a weapon in such a circumstance. Besides, she wasn't confident in her ability to ready her bow and nock an arrow before the man could react. If things were to deteriorate to such a degree, then the fight would definitely have to be conducted in close-quarters, which wasn't exactly optimal for her. She knew nothing about the possible capabilities of the stranger, which inevitably meant that it would be far too risky to directly fight him. Of course, that was assuming that she was willing to fight fairly, which she was not, and she had more than a few tricks up her sleeve. 

By any indication, the man had been following Ash for some time. It wasn't exactly common for others to be able to get the jump on her, as this man had, so it was painfully clear that he wasn't unskilled by any means. She was heavily distracted, though she had a feeling that there was much more to this man than she could possibly deduce at this time. In any case, she was already heavily distracted by the present circumstances, so it wasn't exactly useful for her to make any wild assumptions at this time. Besides, if he truly had malevolent intent, it wouldn't exactly make sense for him to speak to her beforehand. Still, she really had no idea about this man at all, so it would be prudent for her to stay wary for now.

Ash knew that she wasn't exactly prepared for whatever was waiting for her within the fortress. It was a total unknown to her, as was almost everything she had experienced within the last week. Was she fearful for what may come? Yes, undoubtedly. That still didn't mean that she could run away. She couldn't abandon her father, family, or friends. There were so many that she had grown up with, and she was certain that they'd do the same for her, if they could. For her, entering the fortress was non-negotiable, nor would it be possible for anyone to convince her otherwise. She was still uncertain why the man seemed so invested in her. Anyone else would have ignored her under normal circumstances. The only reasonable explanation was that he was confusing her for whomever he was looking for. Odder still was that he seemed to be mostly unaffected by the malevolent force that was emanating from Durgan. Or if he was affected, it wasn't in the same way as it had everyone she had seen so far. Truthfully, the invisible tendrils wanted to grasp and suffocate her at this very moment, but for whatever reason, they were being kept at bay.

The stranger talked about magic and cults, which would have sounded crazy to Ash if not for the last few days. Her only experience with magic consisted of being mesmerized as a small child by magicians that found themselves with travelling troupes. They entertained with tricks and minor illusions, most of which wasn't even real magic. The man before her seemed to speak with some kind of authority on the matter, though that was nothing more than an educated guess on her part. As for cults, Ash really had no idea what he was even talking about. There were no one but the usual villagers down in Low Riding, but she couldn't speak for any of the other settlements. It was obvious that he knew much more than her about this entire situation, and the only question was whether or not he was willing divulge this information with her.

"Can't help." Ash bluntly muttered. She wasn't heartless, at least she didn't think she was. Ash had her own issues that were consuming her every thought, and unless this person was in Durgan, there wasn't really any way that she could help the man. She obviously didn't recognize the man, and couldn't think of anyone within that fortress that he could be looking for. Probably much easier for the two of them to go their separate ways. She was more than willing to face whatever dangers were hiding in the fortress alone, even if that made her exceedingly foolish by any measurement. Despite it being early morning, she really didn't want to waste a lot of time in a conversation with someone who she did not know.

"Better if you never saw me. Goodbye." Ash said this with her eyes being clearly visible from beneath her hood. They were unmistakable, and it wouldn't take someone with supernatural perception to see them, even from an extended distance. She began to turn towards the tunnel once again, slightly sad that she couldn't help the man at this time.