Til Death Tears Me Apart Once Again [Discontinued]

XI: I Don't Screw Up For Once

Apparently, they decided to set up camp where they found us because 'there was a good fire', turning back around after marching off. It was too dark apparently, and it was a 'miracle' they manage to track down their prize.

Dammit Genesis, why didn't you remove this ending?! It's like you want the world to fall, or you just want to make my job and life much harder!

I don't know whether to be relieved or worried about this situation though.

On one hand, the Heroine wasn't going to get chartered off and doom the world along with it immediately, it isn't Game Over just yet. There is still a chance to escape. On the other hand, I have no idea how to escape. Pretending to be knocked out the entire time isn't helping, especially when I'm 100% sure there are guards keeping watch.

On top of that, I am tied down. From head to torso to toe and with a tightened sack over my head so I can't see nor breathe anything but musty air. It reeks of rotten potatoes and I have to suppress the urge to vomit. Ugh, why?

Genesis, can you hear me?

I pause, hoping that there would be a reply.

None. 

Great.

As I pretended to be knocked out, there was alot of commotion and comments about the Heroine. She's awake by the way, tied as well behind me and trying to get out of her binds. I could tell from the shifting of the rope, but it doesn't loosen. It seems the bandits don't notice her attempts, because none of them were screaming.

There were clinking of cups and voracious laughter, the space the bandits were in filled with loud conversation. Typical bandit camp setting I suppose. 

Maybe I just have to wait. I tell myself. There's got to be some particularly lazy or slacker or drunk guard on duty right? That's how most stories go right? Then I can enchant the rope into becoming water and extinguish the flame with it so it's all dark. Sure I wouldn't be able to see shit but at least I'd be away right?

Or maybe...

I start working on the inside of the ropes, using the hand hidden out of sight to draw on the water enchantment symbol, pouring arcane into it and turn it into water. The girl behind me seems to notice her binds getting thinner and stops struggling. Thank goodness for that, I wouldn't have known what to do if the rope snapped before I was ready.

With the other, I willed it to slosh in place, and after a good portion of the rope was gone, make the line of water creep along the ground and towards the fire. At least, I presume it was. I can't see shit. Feeling the water start to evaporate is a tell tale sign though, and I will the water to dart right into it.

Or rather, into the wood fueling it.

I've discovered that wet wood makes for very smoky fires.

There is no commotion about it yet, so I assume no one noticed.

I keep up the enchanting, keep up the line of water that goes into the wood. It probably will take a while for the thing to start smoking alot, but when that happens, there is bound to be some commotion. If there's no one to see the smoke, it is night after all, they would surely smell it.

There was nothing for quite a while, so I kept on thinning out the rope, focusing hard on the task.

By complete accident, the rope around me falls away.

Shoot, there isn't enough smoke yet! 

I reach up to pull off the sack over my head, to discover that my hands were still bounded. Oh fuck me I forgot to-!