61 Together alone (2/2)
”What do I say to them...?”
[Nothing... Just enjoy the sunbath... Demons don't care about socializing...]
”Wait... Then... Why are demons able to talk if they don't talk with each other...?”
[So we can antagonize humans, of course... Their pain is our power remember? Oh, that reminds me... Do not let your emotions show...]
”What...?”
[If they feel any painful emotion from you, they will become stronger and find out you are a human. The minute they do, they will bite your head off.]
”Ugh!! I see... Ok... Don't feel painful emotions... Should be easy enough...”
Ashley decided to join the dryads in their little sunbath. She felt a nice tingling sensation reaching her skin.
She met eyes with some of the plant girls but they all seemed to have wanted nothing to do with her.
”Guess I'll just leave them...”
[Probably for the best...]
Ashley spotted the exit and started to run towards it. She was a little disappointed she didn't get the chance to interact with the dryads but was still glad nothing had gone wrong.
Before she could leave though, one voice came from behind and made her stop.
”So... Me... Ne... He... P...”
”...!!??”
Ashley turned around and saw a man tied up in vines behind a rock. He seemed like he was around the age of thirty-five. His body was completely tied up and his face was extremely tired.
”P... Eas...E... Sa... Ve... Me...”
”Drya... Who is that...?”
[Probably someone's lunch... I told you, demons feed on pain... They are probably leaving him half dead so they can enjoy his suffering...]
”I... I need to save him!!”
[No, wait!! That's a terrible idea!!!]
Ashley rushed towards the tied man's side and made a leaf blade to try and cut the vines that were tying him.
But before she could though, one of the dryads jumped in front of her and parried Ashley with another leaf blade.
”What do you think you're doing??”
”Huh...”
[Welp, we're dead...]
”I was just... I was...”
[Stop talking, let's just leave, he's almost dead anyway...]
”But...”
Three more dryads noticed Ashleys's suspicious behavior and started to approach her with leaf blades in hand.
[Well... It was nice knowing you Ashley... I hope we can meet again in another life...]
”Wait! wait! I need your help! What do I do??”
[You can put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye... There is no way a softie like you can handle four dryads on your own...]
”Softie...? What do you mean?”
”Hey!! I made you a question!! What were you doing??”
”Huh...”
”Kill her!! She's trying to steal our food!!”
The four dryads jumped on Ashley and started to attack her with their blades. Ashley was trying her best to parry them off but she was starting to panic.
”Drya!! What do I do??”
[Just let me do it! I can take them.]
”You? How?”
[I have a plan! Give up control of your arm!]
”O- Ok!!”
Ashley followed her command and felt her arm no longer belonging to her. Drya was controlling the leaf blade and was blocking the attacks much better than she ever could.
[I hope you can forgive me for this.]
”Forgive...? What do you mean??”
Before Ashley could notice, Drya moved her arm towards the direction of the man that was imprisoned and stabbed his heart.
”Guuaaaahhhh!!!!”
”Drya!!!?? What are you doing!!!”
[I need your pain to get more strength! I'm sorry!!]
Drya proceeded to thrust the blade even deeper and finally killed the poor man. Ashley could hear his final whisper pleading for his life as she removed the blade from inside his body.
”... What... What did you do...?”
Ashley stared at her own arm that was now a blade and at the blood of the man that Drya killed. The man she killed with Ashley's hand. A hand that went inside another person and took his life. A hand that belonged to her and that belonged to a killer.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Ashley could not stop at the man who just lost his life and at her blade that was used to take that same life.
She saw many people die before, and many people tried to kill her before. But this was the first time she was on the other end, on the side of the murderers, watching a life being taken with her own hands.
”WHAT DID YOU DO????”
Ashley's body felt like it was about to explode. She didn't understand what this feeling was. It was something that she never felt before. She wanted to cut off her own arm and pretend that this never happened. That it wasn't her fault. That she had no control over it. The only thing inside her head right now was her own voice screaming ”It wasn't me! It wasn't me!!” over and over non-stop.
The dryads leaped to kill Ashley, but her agony was so great that Drya started to receive a surge in power. She focused her energy on her leaf blade and sliced the plant girls in one swing.
Ashley was now standing alone in a cave filled with four dead dryads and one dead human.
[I'm sorry Ashley... It was the only way to save us both...]
”... I... Killed him...”
[No, I killed him... It was my blade, my decision.]
”But... But...”
[We saved him, Ashley... He was being used to feed off the demons in here... He is better off dead than spending every day slowly dying.]
”...”
[Ashley, we need to move! Your sister needs you, remember??]
”My sister... My sister needs me...”
[And right now, you need her... So let's get out of here so you can meet each other!]
”Right... That's right... I need to see my sister... And she needs me too!”
[That's my girl! Now let's go!!]
Ashley gave one final look at the scene she helped to create and finally entered the exit.
[Don't worry... No matter what happens, I'll be here by your side!]