This chapter name gives me whiplash bc my school mascot is "raiders" and y'know. Herbert Benson.
I give no f**ks.
Also I am substituting dollars for whatever the demon currency is. Sue me.
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There are a lot of reasons you can be tied to a tree.
But being held captive while a bunch of bloodthirsty warriors try to figure out what to do with you is not my favourite, not going to lie.
See, it all began when Cozbi and I made some fun out of terrorizing this group of bandit-demons that raided and pillaged in their free time.
It was just a few "practical jokes" here and there- setting fire to their tents and releasing any captives they had, directing wild demon stampedes towards their campsite, having Benny play their wooden flute-like instrument through the entire night, which essentially created a droning noise that was just loud enough to be heard, but too quiet to identify it's source- the sound of which resembled something between an owl hoot and a wolf howl.
Oh wait, I'm not done. We also stole pieces of armour and set up traps around their campsite using their own materials. Did I mention we set fire to a lot of things?
Don't get me wrong, these guys deserved it. They killed plenty of civilians and set fire to small, helpless villages- after stealing all the food and valuable materials from it, and killing and setting free the people's livestock. Unlike Cozbi had suspected, the demons here weren't former members of her clan- they were just incredibly smelly simple-minded fools, who had nothing better to do than wreak havoc.
Which is essentially the same situation as Cozbi and I. Minus the smelly part, of course. Though I can't say the same for Benny.
Ok, so maybe we got a little carried away. But when the demons started suspecting that all our mini-raids were the work of a ghost- after coming up empty whenever they searched for the culprit- it was just so hard to leave them alone.
Now, you may be wondering, how did I go from having the time of my life wreaking chaos to being tied to a tree? That's because something unexpected happened. These thick-skulled warriors smartened up. Okay, that was a lie. They didn't do anything particularly smart- in fact, they did something so stupid I never thought it'd happen. And then Cozbi did something even stupider.
Alright. Let's backtrack a little.
It'd been 3 months since Cozbi and I began our mini raids. The demons would split into two groups- a main group and a sentry group, and then go raid other villages for up to 2 weeks while the sentry group stayed behind to watch the camp. During this time, Cozbi and I hosted our own mini-raids frequently, and by night. By the time the main group returned, the sentry group would be exhausted and apparently superstitious.
Cozbi and I had waited until the main group left for pillaging once again to terrorize the sentry-fresh-meat left behind. Rinse, repeat. Eventually the main group decided to stay behind to figure out who was behind the terrorizing of their poor camp-watchers. We hardly raided the first week, but the week after that, we went completely haywire. By the time 3 weeks had passed, all the demons were constantly tense and exceptionally exhausted. However, they were also incredibly ready for any sign of attack.
So we let them rest for a bit- gave them time relax and start getting careless again. Once the bandits resumed heading out for raids, we resumed the same method of attacks. This continued for several cycles, until that day.
I was walking between Lambda and the village alongside Cozbi- I was planning to send an update letter to Sonju and Mujika. But as we walked, I became increasingly aware of a bout of smoke that rose over the trees in the direction we were heading. Cozbi and I ran the rest of the way to the village, only to find it aflame. Civilians dashed around in a frenzy- putting out fires and trying to recapture livestock that had been set free.
"They attacked here?!" Cozbi exclaimed while I cursed. "But- that's just begging for their location to be revealed!"
I nodded. "It's the stupidest thing they could've done. If the castle garrison comes here, their camp will be discovered in a mere matter of days." As I spoke I caught sight of a frantic demon woman, sobbing and throat hoarse from the effort of yelling. Another demon- her significant other, I guessed, stood awkwardly trying to comfort her. Their face looked incredibly grave, and I jogged up to them lightly, hoping to get some information.
"What happened?" I asked, and the taller demon turned to me, eyebrows set together heavily.
"Raiders. Them's killed our livestock or set them free 'n set everythin' aflame 'fore leaving. Somethin' 'bout not us not being able ta be left 'lone no more." They spoke, turning to glance at what I supposed was their wife. "And...-"
"They took my baby!" The female demon wailed, turning to me with wide eyes. "My little girl! Please help me look for her, please help-" She rasped, gripping onto my forearms.
"What's she look like?" I asked calmly, my throat and mouth dry. The woman looked up to me with hopeful eyes.
"She's a little 'un." She sniffled, wiping her tears. "Short pink hair. Responds to the name Addy. Please find her, please."
I nodded. "I'll make sure she gets back to you." I stepped back gently, the woman's hands falling from my arms. Cozbi and I turned on our heels and began to head off, when the tall demon stepped forward.
"Another child went with 'er. Don't know the name, never seen 'em 'fore . Was 'round these parts lookin' for them's family. Timid little thing. But brave." They spoke to Cozbi and I. "Careful with those bandits, missies. They's some big and nasty fellas." Despite the demons words, they made no attempt to stop me from going after the crude demons.
I grinned slightly. "I'll keep it in mind." I then turned and jogged after Cozbi, who had set off after the bandits already.
Cozbi turned to me once I caught up to her, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder. "The other child they mentioned might've been Orion." She spoke nervously.
"What?!" I sputtered. "Orion- what's Orion doing here?!"
Cozbi tilted her head. "Prolly lookin' for all of us."
"Then-" I tried to piece together my thoughts. "-They're one of you, too?"
The blue-haired demon girl grinned. "You betcha. Came along with us as "camouflage." Figured you wouldn't suspect a little kid like that. Stayed behind us in the capital, of course. Couldn't risk taking them through the wild-demon territory with just the 3 of us- and you, who was supposed to be a captive. They probably freeloaded on some farmer's cart to get here. I sent 'em a letter via pigeon carrier some while back."
"Then, Emma?!" I asked abruptly. "Is she one of you, too?"
Cozbi shook her head. "Emma's just a girl Aurelia befriended while in town. More camouflage." I sighed in exasperation. "Anyways- what's the plan to rescue the little ones?"
I pursed my lips slightly, gazing ahead as we reentered the cover of the forest. "We'll likely have to resort to setting them free under the cover of the night- like we did the other ones. It'd be best if we don't get caught in the process." I paused a moment, glancing to Cozbi beside me. "But I'm a little worried about why they took captives."
"Whaddya mean? They've taken captives before." The demon girl hummed, leaping easily over a fallen log.
"They've taken captives up till now in hopes of ransoming them." I elaborated. "Leuvis said they were children of noble families or rich commoners. But did you see the condition of those two back there? There isn't any way the bandits could hope to get a ransom for that little girl."
"So..." Cozbi tried to work out what I was trying to say. "You think it's a trap." She realized, to which I nodded.
"To lure out the ones who've been causing them trouble." I finished, hopping lightly over a tree root that protruded in our path.
"...which is us."
A slow grimace spread over Cozbi's face, which I answered with a tense grin. "You betcha."
"Oh, s**t."
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When we arrived at the camp, we found the demons drinking and partying with ale they'd likely stolen from the village earlier that day. They cheered and danced and sang- Or bellowed, rather- And in the middle of the chaos stood Orion timidly, holding the hand of a quivering little pink-haired demon girl. There was no way we could get to the two of them right now- not in the middle of all those demons. So with a silent exchange of thoughts, Cozbi and I decided to wait until nightfall, after all.
As daylight faded away with the sunset, the bandits walked the two demon children over to a tree. While they littles stood, they tied them up- it didn't take a genius to tell that the bonds were loose. "Oh, this is totally a trap." Cozbi muttered some time after we watched the demons casually head to bed, not leaving even a single sentry to stand watch over their captives.
"Yep." I echoed, standing up and beginning to stretch out my aching limbs.
"You ready to walk right into it?" My companion asked, also stretching out from our long hours of silent and still supervision.
"Hell yes." I grinned, adjusting my cloak so my knives were easier to access.
Cozbi shook her head slowly while she pulled off her own cloak and re-secured her sword sheathe. "You crazy daughter of a bastard."
"Right back at'cha." I grinned, raising an eyebrow before placing my mask back on. "And hey, Yuugo may be smelly, but he tries his best." I responded, finishing up my prep.
"I'm not even going to ask." Cozbi sighed. "Let's get going, then."
I turned to Cozbi while we crept towards the edge of the camp, where Orion and Addy were tied up. "I bet you $5 you get caught first." I whispered while we paused at the edge of the clearing, looking over the dead-quiet campsite.
"You're on."
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And now, I eat dinner, then edit the next chapter and post it. Should be up within the next 2 hours. See y'all then.