255 Setting the stage (1/2)

Ashley grabbed Evlin and pushed her out of the way as Dria attempted to stab the woman with her blades.

The two landed on the floor and watched as the dryad sliced the furniture into pieces.

”You guys sure do love your boring conversations...” Dria commented while smiling at them, ”Do you know how long I've been waiting for Knucker to give me permission to trash you??”

Ashley glared at the plant woman, ”You never change, do you?”

”You can't change perfection!”

Dria raised her arms and a barrage of vines appeared out of the ground and chased after the two ladies.

Evlin tried to dodge it but her body was still not back at full power and she ended up getting grabbed by the demon.

”Ugh!!” she cried while having her body lift up by Dria.

”Evlin!!” Ashley gasped. The red-haired woman tried to save her sister but Dria just slapped her away with one of her vines.

”Stay put, Ashy! I've been waiting a long time for this! Wait for your turn like a good girl!” Dria whispered while gazing at Evlin struggling to free herself.

”You!!” Evlin yelled, ”It's always you!! It's always you popping up everywhere and making everything worse!!”

”Oh, stop it... You're making me blush! Hey, tell me, what messed up with you the most? Shooting Mia in the heart or watching her fade away while begging you to save her? Come on, be honest with me! Getting into that girl's head was my finest work and I wanna know every detail of how much that broke you up inside!!”

Dria pulled her arm back and her vine suddenly began to bring Evlin against a wall and crashing the woman into it.

”Guaahhh!!!”

”Oh, man!! I missed having my own body and bullying people around so much!!” Dria commented.

Evlin saw blood dripping from her head and falling into her eyes as she tried to pull her face out of the wall.

”You finally get a body and the first thing you do is rush to become a servant for another loser??” Evlin asked.

”Excuse me??”

”That's all you do, isn't it?? First, it was the Sloth demon, then North, and now Knucker... You are nothing but a dog looking for an owner to tell you what to do!”

Dria glared at Evlin and began to squeeze her vine in an attempt to crush her bones.

”A dog, am I?? Should I show you how hard my bite can be then??”

”Don't you have to ask permission from your boss first?” Evlin laughed.

”Oh, you little...”

Evlin noticed that Dria was distracted with anger and used this chance to apply her magic on her body.

Dryads are demons born from pieces of the channeling tree once they are bathed in too much cursed energy, which means Dria was basically one walking, talking, annoying, living staff.

She tried to gather as much magic power as she could and used her transformation ability to turn Dria's vine into a whip for herself.

Evlin grabbed her whip and latched it onto the demon plant's hand. She channeled her magic through the whip and blasted Dria with an explosion of raw energy directly into her face.

”Gaaahh!!!” Dria shrieked as Evlin's power pushed her body across the room.

”Ugh... So tired...” Evlin mumbled as she fell on her knees. Blasting raw magic was the simplest spell in her arsenal, but even that was taking a lot out of her right now.

She raised her face and noticed Knucker just sitting on his furniture and watching the show.

”My offer still stands by the way... One word and I can send you home right now!” he commented while resting his cheek on his fist.

Evlin glared at him, ”Fat chance... You sealed your fate when you messed with me!”

”Oh, darling...” Knucker replied while more vines appeared right behind him, ”You have no idea how much more I can still mess with you...”

Dria was back on her tentacles once again and charging at Evlin while screaming with anger.

Evlin tried to check if she still had any power left, but before she could, Ashley just grabbed her and began to run towards the exit with her sister in her arms.

”Let's get out of here!!” Ashley shouted.

”...” Evlin looked at her face for a moment, trying to find out what she was thinking right now, ”Ash...”

Before Evlin could finish, Dria tried to pierce the two with her vines that now had blades at the end of its tips. Ashley saw the attack coming and ducked at the last moment, resulting in the door getting shredded.

”We will talk later!! Ok??” Ashley yelled.

”O- Ok...”

The two stood up and tried to dash out of the room with Dria still chasing after them.

”Get back here!!! Call me a dog one more time!!!”

Knucker just continued to watch the whole scene while a small glow appeared in his eyes.

”So this is the route we are taking... Interesting...” he whispered.

Part 2

Marcus and the rest of the group heard the sound of destruction coming closer and closer from the room Evlin and Ashley had moved to in order to talk to Knucker. They all gasped as they spotted the two running for their lives while Dria continued to rampage all over the castle.