Approximate Y/N and Ray first-meeting height difference because I said so. She smol.

ALSO if u dm me @/_glebbs on instagram I'll invite u to join a new insta chat. U can also join the "Y/N is hot" discord server; https://discord.gg/bdYM8Eqssh , which just recently hit over 60 members!!

And yes, I'm finally updating; 'cause some of y'all were acting like you were malnourished for content. I have another 3 draft chaps ready, idk when I'll post them tho. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.

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The sun was below the horizon and the moon was overhead when the movement in the camp slowed. Zev's voice called out through the clearing; "We leave at dawn. Anyone not ready by then will be left behind."

There was a grumble of assent while the bandits lumbered off to bed, entering their respective tents. 

Several hours later, I watched while the sentries changed, well out of earshot. A tight frown rested on my face. "That Zev guy is smart." I muttered.

"I mean yeah," Cozbi hummed, "but where's that coming from suddenly?"

"'been watching the sentries all day today." I sighed. "Remember when we would plan our raids?"

"Well... it was often during the night when they weren't active. We'd raid towards the end of the sentries shift." Cozbi said."But not at the very end, because that's when the sentries start being alert, 'cause their companion will be coming soon to trade watches. What about it?"

I sighed. "You can't see the sentries from your end of the tree, but the watches they've been on today have been staggered and random. There's been multiple 20-minute shifts mixed in with ones that lasted up to several hours. I've no idea how long a shift will last before it ends."

"Why not just wait until a sentry falls asleep?" 

I shook my head. "I have no way of knowing the approximate time a new watch will show up. Suppose we do start escaping while a sentry dozes, only to be spotted by their freshly-awoken companion coming to relive them of their shift."

"Damn." Cozbi muttered. "I see what you mean. Zev must've set that up intentionally. And as long as it prevents our escape, he'll keep doing it that way. That also means he's not underestimating us as simple "noble children," which is what we were banking on."

"Oh, he is underestimating me, to a certain extent." I hummed, rolling my head to stretch out my neck. "He's underestimating how batshit crazy my plans can be."

Cozbi chuckled. "Fair enough. So? The plan?"

"Oh, I have something brewing- to get us out of the stupid situation you got us into." I raised my eyebrows. "But we won't be able to execute it tonight, 'cause of the stupid sentries. We may as well try this thing called "resting." We've a bright-and-early start tomorrow, after all."

Cozbi yawned. "Yeah, sleep sounds nice."

...Although apparently, the fucktard Zev's idea of "dawn" wasn't so "bright and early" after all, considering the camp was packed up long before the sun rose. 

By the time the sun actually shone above the horizon, Cozbi and I were already walking alongside the bandits. Cozbi walked in front of me, and our hands were bound on the same piece of rope, which was then tied to the horse-lizard-thing that demons use instead of actual horses.

We trudged at a fast pace, with breaks every couple of hours for the horses and those walking to rest their legs. Meals were stale bread and a handful of whatever mushrooms and berries scouts gathered while we moved. I ate these carefully, slipping them under my mask without showing my face. For the brief periods of time Cozbi and I were allowed to be untied, during meals and such, there was a significantly heavier security watching us.

"So?" Cozbi whispered once we started walking again. "We've got guys watching us like hawks 24/7."

I raised a finger to my lips while I listened to Zev's conversation. The commander-of-sorts was speaking to one of the other higher-ups of the camp. "Ahead of us lies busy man-eater territory. We will travel another hundred metres before breaking for nightfall." 

A slow smile spread over my face. I closed my eyes a moment, and felt the wind blowing gently against my back. "Conserve your energy." I said to Cozbi, under my breath. "If things go well tonight, we may have a chance to escape."

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Soon enough, night came. The camp slowed to a stop so everyone could rest their legs from the countless hours of walking. While the others slept comfortably in tents, Cozbi and I were tied onto the protruding branches of a fallen tree. A single night sentry sat a few metres away, facing in our direction, one hand gripped tightly on a spear.

I yawned and leaned back on the tree, trying to shuffle into a comfortable position. "Y/N?" Cozbi whispered. "Y/N, what about the plan?? Are we escaping toni-"

"Would you shut up??" I hissed. "Just sit back and relax. It'll come."

"Ugh, fine." Cozbi huffed, leaning back against the stump a few feet away. After a few moments passed, she suddenly sniffed the air. With a long pause Cozbi turned to me. "Y/N, you smell." she said bluntly. 

I gasped in mock offence. "So rude!!" I exclaimed, turning to her.

"You know what I mean!!" she hissed. "You smell like a human!"

I tilted my head. "Oh really? That's strange... Can't think of any reason that would happen."

"Are you stupid?? The whole camp will start-" Cozbi paused suddenly, hesitating. "Oh. We're upwind from the camp." she then paused again and flung forward, jarring her arms, which were tied to the tree. "WAIT- The wild demon territory is downwind– Are you bonkers?!!" she whisper-shouted. 

I shrugged. "Totally."

"You're out of your mind!!"

"I thought we already established this?"

Cozbi took in a deep breath. "Indeed, we did." she groaned slowly. "-Oh god, this is going to be a shitshow."

"Mmm..." I hummed, a slow smile spreading over my face. "Your specialty, isn't it?"

"No thanks to you."

I shifted slightly, so the sentry wouldn't notice. See, Cozbi was right when she said I'd had 80% of my knives taken from me. In my knife belt, I'd had 12. Those were taken from me. That left me 3 knives. A small hunting knife and 2 throwing ones I kept concealed in a secret arm sheathe for emergencies.Sonju had made fun of me for being paranoid at the time, but lord, I am glad I didn't decide to forgo them.

I carefully began sawing through the rope with the edge of my razor-sharpe hunting blade. With the gloves I had on, I was struggling. I shifted a little too much with the effort, and caught the sentry's attention. "Shit." I muttered, freezing in place. I stayed totally still while the demon watched me, it's guard up. Ten minutes later, it relaxed again, thinking my sudden movement had been it's imagination.

Slowly, I peeled my gloves off my hands, revealing my human fingers. And then I started the tedious work again, sawing through the rope in slow, unnoticeable movements. Soon I heard the faint snap of the rope breaking, and the tightness on my hands loosened. I resisted the strong urge to rub my wrists and stretch, and instead stayed in place, breathing deeply.

And then, in a swift movement and the flick of my wrist, I tossed the knife into the air. The sentry saw a faint glint off the blade and rose to it's feet. But there was no further sign of the knife. It had landed safely in Cozbi's hands.

While Cozbi worked at removing her rope, I sat tight. Though a few minutes later, I felt a chill down my back. It was the slight sensation that always came whenever a wild demon was near. But this chill came with the smell that glided down the hill; a faint and recognizable smell that belonged to only wild demons.

"Y/N." my demon companion murmured in warning.

I nodded with a nervous grin. "Yeah. The wind has changed."

"Oh god." Cozbi sighed, bowing her head. "On the bright side, my ropes are off." I saw the sentry stand to his feet, raising a hand to his nose. "On the dark side, he can totally smell you."

I near grimaced. "I can see that." And then the trees around us trembled and another shiver ran across my spine, more in warning, now, as if I had some-sort of glorified "spidey sense." Y/N tingles? Demon sense–?

A splintering screech came from behind me, and I felt my blood run cold. "Run!" I yelled, springing up to my feet. 

Wielding only two throwing  knives, and Cozbi a small knife, we charged the camp, followed by a pack of wild demons. The sentry raised his weapon, a large double-sided axe, and let out a bellow of warning. The camp was already stirring, lanterns flashing on and demons pouring out of the tents, armed to the teeth. 

I blew past a few, ducking past them under the cover of night. "The captives!" A demon yelled while I ran straight at it. "They've escape-" I threw my knife at it's neck and it stumbled back. As I blew past it I yanked the knife out. I was too busy focusing on running away to bother killing it.

"We're under attack!" A separate voice yelled. "The wild man-eaters- agh-!!" The voice yelled in pain while it was trampled by a wild demon. Another deafening screech resounded through the camp and I heard the thudding on the earth grow in amount. 

Tents were crushed and fires sparked while the pack gained on us, or rather, me. A tent was trampled a few metres away and I stumbled over my own feet, heaving for breath. "Shit, shit, shit, man!" I breathed, pushing myself back onto my feet. I reached into my collar and pulled out the packet of herbs. I pushed one into my mouth and held it under my tongue while my legs churned beneath me. 

I huffed through my mask and grunted, it was restricting my breathing. I tore the mask off my face at last, tucking it under my armpit. Cozbi and I were near the end of the tents together. Few demons were able to resist us, as they were too busy fighting off the huge wild monsters that clambered through their camp.

Cozbi broke the line of trees and I was just a few feet behind her. But just as I escaped the end of the camp, something latched onto my arm, jerking me to a stop. I ducked and swung my knife at the figure, catching them in the neck. Cozbi noticed I wasn't alongside her and skidded to a stop, spinning around. "Y/N!" she exclaimed in worry.

"Y/N?" Zev seethed, recognizing the name. Though my knife was plunged into his neck he didn't flinch, his grip on my arm only tightening. He saw my face now, and froze.. "A huma-" I yanked the knife out from his neck, preparing to plunge it back into him. But my arm was snatched by his hand before the blade could touch him. Only it wasn't the hand I'd been prepared to avoid, it was a third arm. Three arms?? 

Before I could struggle we were barrelled into, knocking both Zev and I to the dirt. A flash of cyan hair and I knew it was Cozbi, fighting with her old companion. While they struggled, I was released, and I pushed myself to my feet, panting for breath.

"Get going!" Cozbi yelled over her shoulder.

I gritted, already spinning on my heel to run away. "Way ahead of you!"

"Isn't this when you're supposed to say, 'No, Cozbi, I won't leave you behind?!'" Cozbi grunted, still struggling on the ground. "Or 'I won't forget your noble sacrifice!,' at the very least?!"

"I'll see you later, you s**thead!" I yelled while I dashed through the woods and away from the camp.

"Close enough." Cozbi grunted while Zev finally managed to throw her off of him.

"After her-!!" I heard Zev's voice through the trees. "She's–"

"Shut up you sick f**k!" Cozbi's voice followed. "More importantly, this has been quite the reunion, hasn't it, Zev!"

"The hell are you–"

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This chap is 2069 words, as of now.