Oh, the laugh I made while writing this chap.

Have fun with this one besties. Maybe put on some action music, or spy music, even, for dramatic effect, and sit back and enjoy.

Cover image is also a lil doodle I did mostly on stream on discord (between 1-3:30 am 😛😛) More reasons to join, hehehe.

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"I hate escort missions." Norris grumbled, crouched in an alleyway with me.

I poked my head out of the alleyway before leading the way out. " I don't really want you here either, for the record."

"What are we looking for, exactly?"

"I'm trying to find Sonju and grasp what the situation is."

"and you need me because...?"

"Mujika said so, and I'm recovering from an arrow wound and a 20% blood loss." I responded curtly.

Norris nodded solemnly. "Can't say no to Mujika...Wait, you're WHAT??!"

"Shush!" I hissed, ducking back in the alleyway. A small group of bandits were moved past, their shadows creeping towards our hiding place.

"I can't do this anymore." one of them grumbled. "Everyone who even made it to the castle is dead already. How do we even know there are humans inside?"

"Well, I mean, there's at least one, so what's to say there aren't more?"

"They're talking about you!!" Norris gasped.

"Shut up, you total dumbass-!!" I hissed in exasperation.

It was too late now, as the bandits had taken notice of us. I ducked and rolled out of the alleyway, and Norris leapt out behind me, unsheathing his sword. I took out a few bandits out with a knife, while Norris slashed through the rest.

Once the fighting was over, I crouched near the ground and took a moment to catch my breath.

"...how're you doing?" Norris asked.

I rose to my feet. "I'm alright."

"Let's keep going, then. We haven't found Sonju yet..."

"He better be alive." I muttered, sticking my knife in my belt. "I've grasped most of the situation by now, though. The bandits are mostly dealt with, and the soldiers are starting to regroup at the castle. Most likely, they're going to start from there and then to a final sweep to make sure all of the bandits remaining in the capital are dealt with."

"Yeah." Norris agreed. "Sonju actually went over that plan with us earlier."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me that you guys actually had a plan? How did it all go to shit, then?"

Norris frowned in thought. "Like you said, a large force of bandits came from the West. Sonju did place a few groups of soldiers there–turns he was concerned about what you'd said, after all. But the reinforcements numbered closer to a thousand instead of a just a couple hundred. I've no idea how they rallied so many bandits so fast. They must've been planning this for a while.

"We also didn't expect that they'd be sneaking in small groups, disguised as citizens, hours before the initial attack. It was a good tactic. They struck us from behind, just as the ones at the gates attacked, and caught us by surprise. Only now, we're managing to overwhelm them with numbers." Norris huffed. "There's bound to be some complaints from the citizens later, though. Pre-Mujika's rule the garrison was nearly 3 times it's current size, so this situation would've been solved easier."

I nodded slowly. "They're going to face some fire for that, regardless of the reasons behind the decrease in size..."

"So?" Norris started as we quickly ran through a street and positioned on the other side. "What have you been up to since you went missing?"

I shrugged. "Last night, I snuck out again to go spy on the bandit camp. I learned a major force would be attacking from the West. I came back to the castle to tell Sonju, but was brought to the seven walls by The One before I could. Then they proposed a deal to me, and when I refused, they warped time so I only got here a few hours ago in the middle of the capital."

"Damn." Norris muttered. "And I thought my life was interesting."

I chuckled drily. "It gets a little overwhelming, sometimes."

"Is that so?" Norris spoke simply, resheathing his sword. "You don't show it much."

I hummed to myself, kicking a stone across the street. "Bad habit of mine."

"Distracting yourself?" Norris offered.

"Something like that." I mumbled. "I've got too many things going on right now."

"Though," I looked up at Norris, "once this whole thing is over with, I think I'll try to start facing reality a little."

"Good luck with that." Norris hummed.

I sighed. "Unfortunately, I might need that luck– Wait–" I raised a hand suddenly, peeking out around the street corner. "there he is." I whispered. "Sonju is alive!"

Though, as I stepped out of the alleyway, I saw the hoards of bandits Sonju and his soldiers were facing.

"I'm going to help!" Norris spoke quickly, throwing a glance at me over his shoulder. "You, stay put! Mujika will kill me otherwise!" the demon ran into the chaos, coming to his companions' aid. 

I watched the interaction nervously, fingers twitching near my knife belt as I resisted the urge to step in.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I gritted my teeth as I spun around to the sight of more bandits. The last of them must be gathering here.

They studied me and my mask while my fingers hovered over my knife. "Say, isn't that... the captive from earlier? The human who Zev described?"

I grunted. "Shit."

"Human flesh!" One of them yelled, running after me as I turned back through the alleyway. I moved quickly through the small space, and climbed nimbly over a stack of crates, leaping over to the other side. The demons found their path blocked.

"Go around!" one of them yelled.

I gritted my teeth and continued running. By the time I made my way into the next alleyway, one of them had spotted me. I took in a deep breath and sighed. "You guys want to play tag?" I groused, stepping backwards. "Let's do it."

I led them through the city, cutting through lots and through houses. I easily lost two of them, but I was starting to run of breath as the final one pressed on, even when I would dissapear from view or suddenly appear on the rooftops

If I was up to my usual level, I would've lost them ages ago. I huffed in frustration as I weaved through another alleyway, bursting out of the other end. I panted and looked to the right, calculating as I picked my next direction.

"Look out!" I was rammed into as someone pushed me out of the way. An arrow whizzed above my head as I was knocked to the ground. "Are you alright?" the demon asked, picking herself off of me.

I groaned and looked up at the sky. "That's got to be the seventh time I was asked that today–" I suddenly shoved the demon off of me and leapt to my feet, nimbly picking a knife out of my belt. I drove it into the underjaw of the demon and it collapsed, dropping the bow in it's hands.

I exhaled in relief and pushed the knife back into my belt now that my last pursuer was dealt with. As my eyes scanned my surroundings, I offered a hand to the girl I'd shoved. She took it and I heaved her to her feet. To my left, there was a whole group of citizens... outside of the castle?

I was about to tell them to go back, when I heard the clanging of metal from across the town square I was now in.

As I looked up, Cozbi backed into it, swinging her sword. She was forced into the town square by Zev, who was swinging his massive blade as it rang against Cozbi's own. I released the girl's hand and started into a run, making my way across the town square.

While I watched the fighting, my heart leapt into my throat. Cozbi was losing, and she needed help. Yet, as I watched her fight, I wasn't even sure if I could be of any aid. As I got close, Cozbi found herself off-balance, and Zev raised his sword to deal the final strike.

I knocked Cozbi out of the way and in the same moment, crossed two knives, and took the weight of the sword's strike. I grunted under the brunt, and at the same time, prayed my stitches were holding up.

As soon as Zev raised his blade again, I rolled out of the way, and Cozbi took up my position, back on her feet with her sword in hand. Zev swung his blade from the left at Cozbi, and I lunged forward, knife aimed at Zev's left side. He managed to slide out of the way and moved for a counterattack. I stepped back again, narrowly avoiding his sword.

I grabbed a throwing knife and flung it at his head. Zev barely avoided it, and he knocked Cozbi to the ground and then lunged at me, thrusting his blade forward. It grazed my left ribs and I stumbled back, joined by Cozbi.

Both of us panted breath into our tired lungs. While Zev paused in his attack and rested his sword on the ground, I fumbled for a patch of gauze out of my belt and pressed it against where his sword had grazed my ribs. I couldn't risk losing any more blood— even just a little.  

"What is this about?" Zev spoke lowly in the demon tongue. "Attacking me out of nowhere, Cozbi. I know of your betrayal from Aurelia, but it hasn't harmed me much. If you weren't being so foolish, I'd rather talk." 

Cozbi was glaring at Zev with eyes full of hate. "Is what you said earlier the same thing you said to Aurelia?" she asked.

Zev merely shrugged. "It was of the same variation."

Cozbi seethed. "You manipulative bastard. You used her admiration for you to get what you want."

Zev's eyes trailed to me. "Pity she failed anyway."

"Er...." I started nervously, switching to the demon tongue. "I feel like I'm missing something here..."

Cozbi looked at me and blinked. "You speak– oh, of course you do." she muttered. "What are you doing here anyway? Last I checked you were half-delirious after losing a crap ton of blood."

"Now, I'd love to be resting right now while Mujika responds to my every need, but we've got bigger problems on our hands. I mean, look at the size of that man's sword!! It's taller than I am!!" 

Cozbi sighed and shook her head. "I'm not even going to try. Got a plan?"

I gritted my teeth. "Something of the sort. Listen, I'll take the first strike—"

"Are you crazy?!" Cozbi snapped, though her eyes remained trained on Zev as he started stalking towards us. Then she looked to me, after a split second of thought. "Don't answer that!!!"

 "It's our only chance." I spoke quickly. "I'll take the first strike, and you take the second, then I'll go for the ankles. You'll have about four seconds before— split!!" I broke away and rolled to the side as Zev's blade crashed in between Cozbi and I, breaking the pavement. where we'd been standing moments earlier.

Then I lunged forward and crossed my blades as Zev attacked from the left. Against the weight of his sword, my feet slid back across the pavement.

Already, Cozbi was taking the brunt of his following attacks. I ducked and ran toward's Zev, and managed to slice at one of his ankles before he could free his blade from Cozbi to attack me.

1...2...3...4! For the four seconds his left leg was healing, Cozbi got a hit in against his right side and left thigh.

Yet, another 5 seconds passed before Zev's ankle healed and he was able to push Cozbi back.

A full 9 seconds of recovery. For a battle veteran, that was unthinkable. And it could mean two things. Likely, his regeneration was failing—

Zev suddenly doubled over, seething in pain.

Or... that.

His skin bubbled until a leg sprouted from his body. And then, another arm.

His time was nearly up.

Zev was rapidly degenerating.

Cozbi gritted her teeth and levelled her sword at Zev, as he warped into something more monstrous before our eyes.

"Oh, man." I grunted, raising my knives. For Zev didn't degenerate completely, and instead, as he rose to his feet, he retained some level of intelligence. Which meant that now, instead of fighting a totally dumb degenerating demon, we were fighting a fairly intelligent one who also had 6 arms and an extra leg. Muscles and veins bulged from his skin– and not in the attractive way, in the "MOMMY COME PICK ME UP PLEASE" way.

While I watched, Cozbi's sword began to tremble as she looked at Zev's new form.

I remembered something she'd told me a while ago, in a moment of trust. That she, the strongest in her group, had been the one to kill her family as they neared the end of degeneration.

I looked between her and Zev now. "Cozbi, we can run." I offered lowly. "you don't have to fight him now. If we regroup, Sonju can—"

"It is my fight." the tip of Cozbi's sword steadied. "It's the final one, to end all of this. I can... I can do it."

"Alright." I looked to Zev as he lurched and let out an ear-splitting roar. "I'll stand with you, even if I maybe just peed my pants a little."

"You're an idiot."

I grinned. "It's part of my charm~"

And then Zev lunged at us, roaring as he swung his blade between us again. Cozbi and I danced out of the way and Zev he swung at us with an extra arm. 

Instead of one major projectile, Cozbi and I now found ourselves dodging 4 extra arms, while Zev used two to grip his huge sword. I found myself thanking Sonju's earlier training to recognize where an enemy was aiming, even if at the time the skill was meant to be used against Leuvis.

I slid underneath an arm now and jabbed a knife into Zev's upper chest, dragging it along his skin. The gash started to bubble as soon as I pulled out the knife and Zev swung at me with another arm, managing to glance off my shoulder, sending me sliding backwards again.

In the meantime, Cozbi was struggling with Zev's other three arms. Though she had the strength to slice through them like butter, they grew back just as quickly as she could cut them off. Her breaths came out more and more ragged as time went on. 

I grimaced, trying to keep Zev's other three arms busy. We needed some-sort of big thing to give us a chance, but caught in a battle headlock, neither Cozbi or I had the resources to manage such an attack.

And it was becoming clear between Zev and ourselves who would tire first.

-----

As Ray drew the gun out of his bag, the rest of the humans startled.

"Ray!!" Emma gaped.

Without a word, the ravenhead raised the gun and fired off a shot.

"Dude!!" Hannah exclaimed. "You can't just–"

But as they looked to Norman, the brains of the group, they found him quiet. For he, too, had noticed the things Ray had from across the town square.

The gauze pad and the fighting that clearly avoided injury, when most demons wouldn't. Beyond that, the skin-covering outfit, including a full-face mask. Lastly, a belt full of knives– an unusual weapon for most demons, but a preferred weapon choice of a certain someone.

If it was coincidence, they'd bite their tongues. But the two boys, and Yuugo, who recognized the basics of fighting skills being the ones he taught himself, were as certain as a person could get. 

Though, despite that either would never admit it, the certainty could also be attributed to a feeling– a blind hope that came with desperation. Because, deep down, they were afraid. For after scouring the whole capital city until now, if this didn't turn out to be Y/N, chances were that the human would only be found when they located her corpse among the many spread on the ground.

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My eyes widened as a gunshot rang out through the town square. While I prepared to whip around to see where it had come from, a bullet plunged into Zev's chest and shot out through the other side. I saw my chance and rolled forward, slashing across Zev's calves, as deeply as I could manage.

The demon roared again, as his legs buckled out from underneath him. One of his flailing arms glanced against my ribs, throwing me against the fountain and knocking the air out of my lungs. I gasped for breath and pushed myself to my feet, watching as Cozbi was already taking the chance that was presented to her.

With a single stroke she decapitated Zev, and his head landed on the ground with a thud. Cozbi stood there, panting, before falling a few paces back and collapsing on the fountain ledge.

I gripped my chest and sat back down beside her, panting for breath as I prodded my own ribs. "Alright?" Cozbi asked me, while the gunshot was momentarily forgotten.

I nodded. "Nothing's broken, I don't think. Only bruised" I finished my prodding and slid down the fountain till I was seated on the ground. 

"It's over, then." I leaned back and sighed. "Back to normal." I gave her a sheepish grin.

Cozbi looked down at me while I took my mask off of my face. "Yeah. Though for me, it'll be... different now. No more degeneration, once the cure is done, for one thing."

"What's your plan?" I asked, looking at Cozbi as she slid down the ledge to sit beside me.

"I don't know." she hummed. "short-term, I'm going to look for Aurelia and find her. I'll settle... whatever it is going on. And then... I've no idea. What about you?"

I looked to the sky. "I'd like to see everyone again..."

"Your human family?"

"Yeah." I nodded, turning to her with a sheepish smile. "Settle my own problems. It will take me some time... I've got a lot to processes in the meantime, but... I can make it. Then... well, I don't know. I don't want to leave this place behind forever, though. I've made too many friends."

Cozbi grinned. "I know, I'm so hard to leave behind."

I blinked. "Oh, right...You exist too." Cozbi frowned offence while I stroked my chin in thought. "You know, on second thought, maybe I won't come back after all..." My face split into an irrepressible grin.

"Hey!!" Cozbi gaped. I let out a laugh as she punched my left arm in mock disappointment. 

"Kidding, kidding," I slowed down into a few giggles. "I think I'd miss you... a little bit."

"A little bit!" Cozbi shook her head. "You're vile!"

I grinned. "Don't worry, I'll tell them all stories about the glorious Cozbi, the one who nearly set me on fire and got me tied to a tree."

"Oi!" Cozbi snapped. "I sacrificed my life to let you escape after that! That's got to discount it–! Stop laughing at me! Stop– laughing! Hey!"

I gasped for breath as I tried to stop laughing. "Ack my ribs!" I seethed through fit of laughter, clutching my chest.

"That's what you get!" Cozbi snapped, which only made suppressing the laughter harder. When my laughter subdued at last, I let out a satisfied sigh. I guess I'd go back to the castle now–

I caught sight of Cozbi, who's gaze suddenly flicked above my head. 

"Hm?" I hummed. "What's up?" I trailed her line of sight till my eyes met the group of demons from earlier. I blinked as I looked at them.

"Your mask!" Cozbi hissed, nudging my arm.

"Oh, shit!" I clambered to grab my mask as I rose to my feet. I secured it to my face and pulled my hood over my head, and then stood dumbly.

Cozbi stood up beside me.

"...you think they didn't notice?" I spoke out of the side of my mask.

"No shit they noticed! Look at them! They're all frozen up!" she gestured to the group of citizens that stood there, unmoving. "There aren't supposed to be any humans here anymore!"

"What do you want me to do!" I shot back, gesturing to the demons who didn't appear to be breathing, either. "I can't just– Do I run??"

"Run??!" Cozbi shot back. "How would that make things any better?!" 

"Well, what else do you have in mind, genius?!" I yelled, turning to her.

"I don't know, why not introduce yourself?!"

"Oh hey, I'm Y/N!" I exclaimed mockingly. "I just so happen to be your favourite snack! But that's beside the point, so please, step closer, so you can shake my hand! Hey, why not take a bite while you're at it!"

"You're impossible!" Cozbi groaned. Though, as she turned to look at the demons, she frowned as recognition suddenly flashed over her face. "Oh!" she gasped. "Y/N, those guys–"

As she started speaking to me, I looked back to the group of seven demons. Instead of speaking to me, a few in the front reached up to their masks. And then the rest followed, slowly taking them off.

There was an instant where I could do nothing but look at them. Time seemed to slow to a stop.

"...Holy shit!" Cozbi exclaimed, reminding me to breathe.

And then?

...Then I ran.

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YES I KNOW IT IS A MEAN CLIFFHANGER BUT HEY, THIS CHAP IS ALREADY 3,500+ WORDS AND AHSDAJF.

BYE BYE BESTIES I'VE GOT A HOCKEY TOURNAMENT TO WIN.