Captured
[Demons are frequently found foraging in forests for food, harvesting many plants that would normally be considered poisonous to humans. Because of their stronger bodies, they are able to consume far more things.]
Eh? I don't remember giving them those settings.
[I had to give a reason for the demons constantly being in the forest]
...Oh.
Maiden: ...
[Anyways, you should pay attention to the situation right now.]
Ah, right.
[A group of demons were traversing through the forest, with woven baskets on their backs. Several of them were holding onto lanterns, which helped them lead the way.]
Demon Underling: Huh? Is that a human?
[Though demons had a humanoid figure, there were many aspects that differentiated them. The demons had pitch black skin, letting them blend in with the night more easily. Their skin was not wrinkled, but still looked rough. Instead of hands, they had claws with sharp ends, while their teeth were not too different from a wolf's.]
Hm... I would say I don't remember all this, but then you would probably just say I never described them...
Maiden: ...
[They had glaring yellow eyes, which glowed in the night. And instead of hair, they had horns on their heads. The majority of which were only at the height of a kid, with one horn on their head. However, there was one leading them that was the size of an adult human, and one that had four horns on its head.]
Maiden: ...
[That demon was a general. And its power was far greater than the average humans. It would be easy for it to blow away an entire town in a matter of minutes.]
Demon General: Wow... it really is a human. How did they even survive?
Well, she's hardly alive right now.
Maiden: ...I
Hm? What do you have to say?
Maiden: What the heck is this pacing? I want to run away already! Stop with the explaining!
[Patience, my young padawan.]
Maiden: What? What the hell is this! I'm running away!
Well, that's pretty reasonable.
Demon General: Uh, human?
[Wait! I'm supposed to give a choice here, could you not run away?]
Maiden: No, no, no, no! I'm not doing this, not one moment longer!
Uh... I assume this is not supposed to be happening.
[Dammit, you're ruining the entire plot here! Stop running! How are you even running when you're basically dead tired now?]
Maiden: I don't care! I don't care! I don't care!
Er...
[...]
Maiden: I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't...
[Tsk... the maiden ran away from the demons, too fearful to listen to the damn system. The burst of strength seemed to come out of nowhere, one that came from the direct threat of death.]
Maiden: Gotta run... run...
[Hehe...]
Maiden: Not the demons! The demons won't get me!
[As much as the maiden wished to outrun the demons, that wasn't going to happen so easily. After all, even the lowest rank of demons were generally stronger than the average adult male.]
Maiden: What! No!
...I'm definitely not enjoying this, I swear. I definitely don't think this serves you right for not listening to me.
[Even if the maiden wished to deny that fact, the light from the lanterns were still close behind her, while the sounds of footsteps were clear. The demons were calling out to her, but she wasn't listening to any of the things they were saying.]
Maiden: N-No! I can't die yet... I-I still haven't...
[The maiden used all her strength to run, running faster than she ever had before. Yet, the demons were still slowly getting closer. Though it was a little hard to tell, the sound of rushing water was coming from nearby. She unconsciously began running in that direction.]
Maiden: There must be a way to escape, right? Show me!
[...I was getting to that. As she continued running, the maiden realized she was getting closer to a waterfall. The idea of jumping off into it came to her. However, that would be quite the dangerous idea. There was only so much water could do to cushion one's fall. After all, the real world is unlike Minecraft.]
Maiden: A waterfall? I'm saved!
[And so, comes our next choice, do you ju-]
Maiden: Cannonball!
What the-
[...]
Maiden: AHHHHH!
[The maiden jumped off the ledge, and began screaming. The sound easily drowned out the sound of rushing water, or the clamoring from the demons that were just about to get her.]
E-Er this doesn't seem good-
Maiden: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
[The maiden was already completely committed to throwing herself off the edge, desperately trying to escape the demons at all costs. Her thoughts were that even if this killed her, it would be a swift death.]
What? That's kinda dark...
[Unfortunately, that was not the case]
Maiden: Eh?
[The bottom of the waterfall wasn't actually that far, causing the maiden to hit the water which was fairly painful, sending shocks throughout her body. However, that was nowhere near close to the pain that came right after, when she slammed her leg on a large rough rock on the bottom of the floor.]
Maiden: Blub blublu!
...Ouch.
[The maiden couldn't even cry out in pain as she was drowning, as the water quickly filled her lungs.]
Wh-What do we do?
[Then, she passed out]
...Wow. Good thing I don't go outside, that way I would never have a reason to jump off into a waterfall.
Wait, the screen is black. Did it turn off? Hello? Or did the maiden just die like that?
There's no way that's fair! We only got to make one choi-
[The maiden woke up]
Oh.
Maiden: Guh...
[She was incredibly dizzy, and despite waking up she was already on the verge of passing out. Nonetheless, she gathered herself as best she could, trying to get a grasp over her situation.]
Maiden: H-Huh?
Hm? Someone... saved you?
[As her vision cleared, she realized that she was laying down on a mat made out of straw. Currently, she was inside a tent, with a weak fire next to her. The walls of the tent appeared to be made out of leather, while the smoke of the fire exited through the top, where a small hole was in the tent.]
Maiden: N-No way! No way!
Eh? What's wrong?
[Next to her, was a wooden bowl filled with something she didn't recognize, but they vaguely resembled berries. On top of that, one of her legs was raised high in the air. She realized that some straw was bound to her ankle, and tied to the roof, while the leg itself was covered in large amounts of honey.]
Maiden: I've been captured!
Huh? Then you should be quiet! What if they come in because you were being noisy!
[The maiden struggled, but the moment she moved her leg, she found it was in great amounts of pain. Though the straw didn't bind her leg that tightly, she wouldn't be able to escape that easily.]
Maiden: ...The demons... got me.
Oh crap, is that why there's a bunch of honey on your leg? A-Are they going to eat you?
Maiden: I-If that was it... then I would just give up...
Wait, there's something worse than getting eaten?
Maiden: ...
[The maiden, certain she was captured by the demons, began freaking out, but quickly calmed down due to the strange voice in her head. She began thinking about ways to escape, though there weren't too many that came to mind.]
Um, hello?
Maiden: The demons are cruel people.
Well, yeah. But I mean, there can't be too many other things worse than being eaten...
Maiden: The demons... have done many terrible things...
...Like?
Maiden: They capture people alive, that's why I am here now. It's because they like to torture them, having them go through this sadistic death games.
What? I... uh, don't really remember this part.
[The maiden trembles in fear as she recounts her story]
Maiden: It is not untold of that the demons will capture humans, but it is not for the purpose of eating them, or holding them randsom. They instead capture them and then put them against each other.
What the- like gladiators?
[The maiden takes a deep breath]
Maiden: It is similar. There is a demon chief that takes these captured humans and gives them strange conditions. I heard before, that there was once a sick game where a human had to choose to either kill a fellow human, or give up their own life.
That sounds messed up...
Maiden: And the worst part, is that even if the human chooses to kill another, they will not actually be released, and are instead killed as well. For some reason, it's only when they choose to die themselves, that they are released.
What the heck? ...Good thing demons don't exist in the real world.
...Well, at least not things that are biologically demons.
[A few tears began forming near the maiden's eyelids]
Maiden: The way we figured that out, was from the few humans that were released. And even after they made it back to the village safely, they were still so scared of the demons. Everyone agrees that it is better to kill oneself before letting the demons get you.
[She shivered, with her eyes widened all the way. There were faint rustling sounds, which faintly resembled footsteps. The maiden froze completely, praying that no demons would come into the tent.]
Maiden: No... they obviously know I'm here, I need to do something!
[The maiden looked at the fire, as various thoughts popped up into her mind]
Wait, wait, wait, you're not going to...
Maiden: I... I think I can get some straw from the bed, light it on fire, then carry that fire onto my restraints. That way, it will be burnt away and I can run.
Oh. That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. But how are you going to run with your leg like that?
Maiden: I don't have much of a choice here, do I?!
Hmm... but you said before, that you can win the death game, then get released, right?
Maiden: Yes, but who knows! The sick demon handling that game always tells lies, probably only releasing people on a whim!
I-I mean, it's not like you have to, I'm just proposing that you could wait around and maybe look for an opportunity to escape later!
Maiden: ...Maybe.
[After a long period of deliberation, the maiden came to her decision]
[Loading choice list...]
[1 - Attempt to escape]
[2 - Wait and see]
[Please choose the desired choice by liking the chapter comment that describes said choice. After roughly 24 hours, the comment with the most likes will be the one that is chosen. In the case of a tie, then a random choice will be selected.]
Hm... a choice again.
Reader, what do you think? Well, now that I think about it I can't hear anything you say.
In that case... I will think of a solution for us! Uh...
I-I think the first one? I mean, maybe the demons won't kill her if she tries to escape, since they didn't do so the first time.
Yeah, just go with that!