Fun time.

[Laughing Man]

Minh didn't notice much of anything, not Sylvia's coughing, not the series of small cuts he and probably Sylvia were sustatining from projectile attacks of the little creatures. He wouldn't let it stop him, not now, anyway. His mind was a tunnel-visioned blur of hollowed emotions as he forced the thoughts of losing his Aria to those things AGAIN, out of his mind.

Luckily, his arms were being occupied trying to drag Sylvia through the forest, unaware of anything she was doing, though he started saying,

"C'mon girl! On your feet! We've got to vacate the forest before the sun falls! I know you're tired and hurt, but we HAVE to go! " He shouted encouraging comments at her as little forest animals scurried by.

His foot hit a root and he tripped once, dropping whatever bit of Sylvia he was holding up and forced himself to land in a roll that brought his weight on his bad leg, causing it to buckle and him to flop over on his side. He grunted with the pain, but tried to get back up immediately and surveyed their pursuers. Surprisingly, the fae weren't following in the hoardes he expected them to, and were instead only in small numbers. One of his starknives flashed out, and he tossed it at the closest one, giving it an arc. The creature dodged it easily, being so small and manueverable, but it bought him to bend over, grab up Sylvia and try to lift her off the ground.

His starknife came back around through the forest and inadvertently slice the wings off of a gold and green demi-fey, dropping it to the forest below just as Minh caught it in one open hand and returned it. Then he turned and did what he could - He ran, dragging Sylvia along with him, every step putting the Vel between worlds that much father behind them was only a good thing.

Getting out of the forest was going to be another problem.

[boomdeboom]

Wincing as she could feel the sharp little objects go straight through her wing and cut her arms, she continued to run. Well, more like stumble as she nearly fell everytime she took a step. Coughing once more into her now dripping bloody hand, she didn't even notice that she was now on the ground. Everything was becoming numb, which was not a good sign at all. Lifting herself up using a nearby tree as support, she snarled as a single Fae began to stab her leg with a knife. Not even hesistating, she lifted up her leg and with stood on the annoying creature a good few times, making sure that when she was done with it, it would be unrecongizable.

Although she usually would have felt guilty about the killing, she felt the complete opposite. She enjoyed every second of killing the little creature, and now she could feel a bloody grin stretch across her lips. Again, she knew that was not good at all, mostly because it meant that the demon was getting more access into her nerves and emotions, which in turn meant she had very little time until it would be too late to stop it.

She then noticed that her coughing had now stopped, probably because the demon noticed that most of her resistance was now gone and that there was no point in weakening her anymore. Though she knew that her mouth was still covered with dry blood and her hand was still dripping with the coughed up blood from earlier. Then, feeling herself being dragged once more, she found it easier to keep up as her power came back. Well, not exactly her power. More like her demon's power. But she knew if she could just use this new power to get them out of this cursed place, then she would be able to deal with this problem easier. But how?

An idea then came to her. Even though it would cause her an enormous amount of pain, they would be able to get out of her a lot quicker. By flying. She already knew from experience that flying was at least ten times faster then walking or running, although it was a problem that her wings were damaged. Surely the exit wasn't too far though. Stretching out her wings as they continued to run, she began to give light test beats, wincing as pain still flowed through with each beat, but it was not like they had any other choice. Either way, whether it be now or later on, she was going to be screwed if she didn't get out of here now. So, giving more test beats as she stretched out her wings fully, many twigs breaking from nearby trees from the rather large wingspan, she then said in a strained voice, hoping that Minh would hear.

"I-I can get us out of here. . . .all I need to do is fly. . .y-you just need to show me. . .where to go. . .we'll get out of h-here. ."

[Laughing Man]

Minh took slight notice of the fact that he had to carry Sylvia less, and that she was more or less moving on her own now. He still kept an arm ready, but started to pay more attention to where they were headed rather than where simply moving. He glanced up at the sky, spotting the setting sun that was drooping into the Western horizon. This gave him direction, but he still wasn't sure exactly where they were.

His breath was heaving heavily in his chest, he was used to moving, walking, travelling large distances, but a full-on sprint after the last few days had taxed his body and he couldn't keep it up for much longer,

"I-I can get us out of here. . . .all I need to do is fly. . .y-you just need to show me. . .where to go. . .we'll get out of h-here. " said a small voice from behind him. He couldn't hear a lot of it through the rustling of tree, shouts of angry creatures, and the pounding heartbeat in his head, but he got the gist of it,

"With your wings the way they are? That'd defeat the purpose of us coming here!" Protested the Half-elf with a worried tone. Minh forced himself to focus on his breathing. 'In through the nose, and out through the mouth. Steady pace. Keep it up, keep going.' he thought to himself.

His mind started formulating a plan, but Sylvia had a point - up was the only way he would know where they were and could navigate from there. It was the most logical and viable option. Only his emotions, his empathetic tendencies were stopping him - so he cut those out of himself, locked them away in the back of his mind in the sake of survival,

"Do it." He said with no emotions, it was a simple response, a sommand. And he was going to hate himself for going along with it.

[boomdeboom]

When he said his first reply, she let out a soft sigh in between her quick rapid breathes. She knew either way she was going to fly, but it would have been easier if he agreed. Not being sure if she would be able to lift him onto her back with him struggling, and also with him shouting in her ear to stop, she was rather surprised to hear the contradicting reply later on. It seemed he figured out that time was against them. Although it was going to be a very sore experience, and also a new one since she had never flown with anyone before, she didn't hesitate as she began to quick her speed, her wings beginning to beat faster. Though she didn't like it, she knew she had to let a tiny bit of the dark power from her demon into her body in order to both take off and to keep afloat with extra weight, and so for a few moments she strained to take only a little bit of the tempting power and not to take the whole load of it, which would prove very troublesome. But reluctantly it agreed to let her take some, as if it knew that she would need more.

With a second wind, Slyvia quickened her pace once more into a sprint saying to Minh in a strained tone.

"Get on my back, now!" After a few seconds, she assumed he was on her back, since she couldn't really focus on anything besides avoiding trees which would damage her wings further, and while noticing a large patch where no trees laid randomly in their flight path, she used that as a runway.

"Come on, just imagine that you're taking off normally, no big deal. One two, one two, one two." Encouraging herself, she then took a deep breath and began to beat her wings as fast as they could, her body shivering as it tried to adjust to the unusual amount of pain which came in with each beat. But, cutting herself out of the pain, she angled her wings into flight and with a few moments of pain, she felt the air under her wing and with another strong beat, she started to glide, and angling her body sharply, with another few strong beats, she flew up through the shrouding trees, wincing as more branches broke once more against her wings.

Panting, sweat dripping from her face, she couldn't help but feel more free as the wind was now under her wings and her body felt so light. But, from the surprising amount of pain, she knew she could only last a few more moments before she crashed down into the earth below. With her wings beating slow and strong, she turned her head towards Minh slightly and asked, her breaths now coming a bit easier.

"So, where do we go?"

[Laughing Man]

He continued running, devoid of those troublesome emotions that had inhibited him before. His hand reached into his sash, then produced a small, white, ceramic sphere. A few more pounding steps and he glanced over at Sylvia, leapt in the air and threw the sphere in the ground, causing the ceramic to break, mixing the two components within to create a blinding flash and a thick, white cloud of smoke. the two figures burst forward out of it, but the fae behind them would be left coughing and actually hurting - the sphere was laced with bits of Iron Magnesium - Iron was a bane of fae, and in some cases even deadly. In this case, it was mostly a deterrent,

"Get on my back, now!" shouted Sylvia next to him. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to hang on, but slowed his pace by a single step to get a view of her back for any handholds. It was then that he noticed her about to take off - that inmistakable moment when a bird is about to leap into the air, and he reacted by leaping at her, throwing his arms around her waist to avoid inhibiting her wings - because he wasn't sure if it would or not - seconds after she had left the floor. He felt her heavy pounding and could almost feel the pain she was going through, but once again closed that part of his mind away. Now was time to survey the area.

His heart leapt, and his grip tightened with each beat of Sylvia's wings that took them higher and higher. He had seen mountain cliffs before, but never had he flown. It was an exhilerating experience and for a moment his mind was blank with the wonderous beauty and mesmerizing feeling of soaring above the landscape,

"So, where do we go?" Sylvia's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife - he could hear the strain in her tone and that worried him. His mind snapped back to focus and he glanced around. From here the icey peaks of the Ulrian Ridge could be made out just on the horizon, with the Blaze Mountain peaks rivalling them from another direction. The small clearing of forest and rising of smoke indicated Tamasha Village, and in the other direction the forest started to thin out which revealed the Deserts far, far, far off. He could barely make out a small settlement to the North of them and chose that as their destination,

"Go left! " he called out over the roar of wind and beat of her wings,

"Go North!" He shouted again, dangling from her waist like a delicate fruit from a tree branch, ready to fall at any moment. The good thing was that the Fae were nowhere to be seen...

[boomdeboom]

"N-north. . ." Whispering this to herself somewhat, she turned her body to the left, soon followed by her wings. She noticed that when she flew with someone, it felt a bit odd, like she was holding a rock while she rode. But, at the same time, it was rather nice being with someone, as since she could first take off, she had been alone. And yet, like with most things since she had first met him only a few days ago, Minh was here.

Even through the struggle, she couldn't help but note how beautiful it looked today. The sun was in full blaze, and because it was starting its slow descent downwards, the sky was beginning to turn a rainbow of colours. A soft smile managed to make its way onto her face as her gaze went upwards. Of course that was soon washed away as she began to cough once more, followed by a whisper.

"Do not think I'll let you away scott free my dear, the worst has yet to come." Its voice was excited, as if it couldn't wait to torture her slowly. A creature. Followed by a few more coughs, she covered her mouth as she saw a droplet of blood slide out of her mouth and drop to the earth below, where hopefully it wouldn't attract the attention of someone. Feeling her energy begin to waste away, she quickened her pace north, her wings not moving quickly as she lowered her head once more and tucked her legs in tightly.

But after about half an hour of fast flying, she couldn't hold on. Her fresh wounds in her wings caused by the Fae's stupid little weapons was making her feel weak and sore, as did the small stab wound caused by that little one, which was beginning to open and drip blood. All of this, and considering she was feeling very drained due to her demon once more deciding for her to cough blood, she had to land. She didn't know how close they were to their destination, she only hoped they were in walking distance, as she knew she just couldn't take it anymore.

"H-hold o-on..!" Saying as loud as she possibly could, she folded in her wings into a steep descent. Down below was a small clearing in between the dense woods which meant she could spare herself some more branch injuries. Spiraling downwards, just at the last minute when she was about to make contact into the earth, she snapped open her wings once more, wincing from the awkward pain as she began to beat to halt herself. Of course, this didn't turn out exactly as she planned, since she underestimated her weariness, and soon half crashed into the ground. Beginning to cough again, which she just about managed to cover with her hand, she didn't even want to get up and so she laid against the ground, panting as she closed her still blood red eyes.

[Laughing Man]

Minh didn't have much time to enjoy the flying as much as Sylvia did, thanks to the fact that he was dangling from her waist over a seemingly endless forest, and he had a serious case of vertigo. He forced his eyelids shut and counted to five. He only got to four when Sylvia shouted something he had not been able to hear so he tried to ask,

"Wha-? AHHHH!" He roared when his eyes fell upon the rapidly-approaching forest. He let go a short time before they hit the ground, smashing his ribs into a branch and snapping it instantly, rolling off and landing on another with his back, then rolling over once more and landing on his stomach in the soft earth, his world turned every which way, then doused in complete darkness as he lost consciousness.

His body lay motionless, save the shallow breathing. His nose and mouth starting to leak a bit of red fluids, and his ribs that had only begun healing, were broken again. His was bleeding from several, smaller cuts, some from the Fae, some from his recent fall, and bruises plagued his normally pale, even skin tone. His clothing was tattered at the sleeves and a big rip at his midsection, just above the sash. The only thing that looked or seemed untouched in the entire ordeal, was the silver butterfly pendant around his neck, encrusted with cut and shaped jewels that depicted stars, the moon, and the sun in each corner of the wings. It reflected teh dying sunlight that broke through the canopy like it was polished and new.

And so Minh dreamt.

[boomdeboom]

She wasn't left peaceful for long as once more her body suddenly erupted into pain, forcing her to stand upright and cover her mouth as she nearly let out a rather loud scream. It felt as if her body was turning inside out, and she could feel her skin ripping into many pieces. But, it wasn't. In fact, there was nothing wrong, on the outside. Inside however, her infamous demon had decided to take advantage of her being rather weak and began to forcefully take her soul, causing her body to go haywire and so create the pain in which she was going through. When all this happened, it merely whispered in a nearly kind voice.

"Do not fear my dear, I only want to help you. Help you go somewhere to heal, help you eat, help you get stronger. So, do not resist, it will save you the pain~ Of course you probably won't be pleased what I have planned for your little friend, but I do assure you, it will be quick~" It laughed at the end. The twisted demon laughed, as if it were enjoying this. Then, with a sudden serious tone, it said.

"You may not believe it, but I'm doing this for your own good. It is best not to have any connections to other things, you can only relate to me. You're mine, Slyvia. Do not forget this, as it would be a grave mistake if you did." Of course, this was really the last thing she wanted, considering she was now laying on the ground, blood dripping out of her leg and wings. She was just in a rotten mood, and so tears began to whell up, and she almost felt like a child once more. Life was unfair.

After a few moments of self pity, once the pain had began to becoming slightly bearable, although it still hurt like hell, she began to realize that Minh was not near here. Although her body shook with protest, she slowly got to her feet, almost collapsing but used a tree to steady herself enough that she could have a look around. But, she couldn't see anything. Perhaps he had fallen off ages ago and she hadn't even noticed. This made her heart drop slightly at that thought, so she forced herself to think that he was nearby, perhaps just in the shadows.

As she said this, she saw a small sparkle at the side of her eye. Turning towards the odd light, she could just about make out a body on the floor, and from what she could just about make out, it appeared to be Minh. This made her mood lighten slightly, but made the demon's turn nasty as it began to shout inside her head, making her fall back onto the ground as she curled up into a ball, holding her head within her bloody hands. Not being able to hold in her cries, she began to cry rather loudly as she began to lose herself slightly, as if she was dying and that her soul was flying away. But, she wasn't dying. This was worse then death. At least if she died, she would not hurt anyone. Here, she was going to hurt people, and hurt them very badly.

In her last moments, even though she tried her hardest to resist, she was just too weak. And so, letting out a very loud sorrowful scream, her body was taken. Now, her demon was in control.

[Laughing Man]

The world faded away, and Minh was stuck in the endless white void of his mind. The sun shone brightly upon the vast, blank landscape - the sole provider of light it seemed. He was naked this time, all the tattoos were gone, though the scratches, cuts, and bruises covered his form. It made the Half-elf grimace to look down upon his form. There was a river for him to take drink from. Another giver of life. He had the feeling he was not alone and decided to have a look through the forest nearby. The ground turned to soil as he stepped in, bare feet upon the moist afternoon soil. The sun broke through the treetops lightly, casting certain areas in bright light, and in those areas flowers of all kinds sprouted to reach toward that ever-burning light.

He wandered deeper into the forest, the sound of the river fading behind him until only the sound of his breathing and the forest acophany remained to fill his ears. He came upon a clearing with three stumps in the center, highlighted by bright light shining down onto them. Behind the stumps was a cliff, an edge to the forest that overlooked a vast waterfall, the walls of which ran around and on forever it seemed, and below was one of the most beautiful scenes he'd ever laid eyes on. Moving clkoser, Minh walked around the inside of the ring to gaze out upon the splendor of the scene, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the moment. He sat down and remained still for several minutes when a voice interrupted his thoughts, but even so the tranquility of the area was not disrupted,

"Traveler. Faithful of mine, welcome." Called a voice that resounded in his head. He knew almost immediately who it was, and this brought a wide smile to his lips,

"Desna?" He whispered,

"Look at this view..." He said quietly, and the goddess laughed, her laugh sounding of pure joy and soft bells,

"Oh, my child. Even in the presence of your matron goddess, you still are enthralled by the splendors of nature. Truly, you are my faithful." She mused, which immediately dragged a confused look to Minh's face. Presence? he thought, and turned his head. Resting on the logs now was a normal-sized moth,

"I thought moths only come out at-" The light shifted from a bright sun, to the soft, caressing, cool gaze of the full moon. Large and majestic in the night sky as it was surrounded by a field of stars,

"Night." Finished Minh with a small voice which caused Desna to giggle lightly,

"Silly creatures you mortals are... But much as I would love to play, there is something we must discuss." suddenly the butterfly was a woman shrouded in light robes, her eyes like feilds of stars and entire solar systems contained within them, as she spoke, her mouth remained still,

"There is a great shadow that threatens the life of this forest, and yours as well. Shadows shift behind innocent eyes and rise when they are weak to claim that which does not belong to them, claiming to assist and aid this poor, tortured soul. These webs of corruption have caught their prey and they seek to spread blood. This must not be allowed to happen."

Minh was frozen in awe, staring at this serenely beautiful woman, so much so that he almost missed what she was saying,

"What... What must I do?" He asked, but his voice sounded like a child's whisper in comparison to hers,

"You must choose, but first. Be well. Be rested, be ready." She spoke, and butterflies appeared from the recesses of her robes to surround him, covering every inch of his form before fluttering away to reveal his wounds vanished, his pain relieved and gone,

"Now you have a choice.. One of three to defeat evil, but which one to stop this foe?" She said queitly, turning to the side to reveal three items on the stumps that were previously empty. One of them was an ornate sword, covered in decorative gems and depictions of Desna, but the edge was razor sharp, and the blade was made of enchanted Mithril. the seocond stump held a sash, of the same ornate design and metallic make, but it was woven like chainmail, yet felt like silk to the touch. The last was a flute, still as ornate, but completely unassuming, though no doubt it was of the highest quality that only a goddess could carve.

Minh stood motionless for what seemed like hours, inspecting each one. The ground around him shifted lightly and suddenly he was alone again. the only thing that remained was the sky, and a vast white expanse with three stumps in front of a naked Half Elf.

Moving closer, Minh made his decision,

"You said I am to fight, and so I will." He whispered to the air as his hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword, and the world melted away once again.

Minh awoke with a start, his eyes flashed wide, and his mind was foggy from rest. It felt as though he had slept for years, but in fact the sunlight was just reaching the peaks of the Ulrian Ridge in the West. His clothes were stained and broken, but his body felt new again, revived and healthy. His eyes searched the area, for he knew he wasn't alone. Someone was with him. Sylvia,

"Sylvia!" He shouted as he thought it, searching further until his eyes fell upon the acquaintence he had made in the lonely forest,

"It seems Desna does bless, and Then some." He muttered an watched Sylvia try to stand, only to fall against a tree. He reached his left hand to his chest and let it lay on his pendant. The object glowed as if the moon fell upon it, silvery light reflected from what should have been the sun's orange. He moved forward and something in his hand clanged against the nearby tree, causing him to look down at the sword from his dream,

"Oh.. So it... Right." His mind wandered through the grog of just waking up as he looked back on Sylvia,

"But we're the only ones out here...." said Minh out loud as Sylvia let out a scream and collapsed once more to the floor,

"Sylvia!?"

[boomdeboom]

A dark chuckle broke from her lips, which sounded on the verge of insanity. Picking herself up, she threw back her head and began to laugh loudly, her arms reaching into the air as she spread her fingers. Extending her wings, she gave a large beat which made her float up before falling back onto the ground. Of course, although it looked like Slyvia, it was not her. It was merely her body being overtaken.

She, and her soul, were in darkness. With her hands wrapped around her knees, she began to cry once more, not believing that she had failed and had given the demon what it wanted. Not like she had any other choice, she was too weak. Even now, she was unable to stand. But, she didn't feel pain. This was in the middle of life and death, not quite alive or dead. She couldn't do anything, not while her demon was in control. There was no hope for her, and soon she would just see through her eyes like a movie, it always happened. It was why she mostly remembered what she did, and of course this time was no exception. Like a roll of film, a light began to flicker and soon extended until it was like a screen. Many images flashed through it until it had caught into to the present. And of course, because she saw Minh in her line of vision, her heart dropped as she began to yell, only to have no reply.

Hearing his voice, she turned around, her glowing bright red orbs staring straight at him. It was all his fault that Slyvia was turning out like this, how she suddenly grew feelings and thoughts, not being a puppet anymore. This made a snarl break from her lips as she stepped forward. Dark energy began to form around her with each step. Extending her wings, she stopped a few meters away from Minh. Narrowing her eyes, she said, her voice distorted as a man voice spoke out.

"You are Minh? You are the one whom is confusing my poor Slyvia?" Laughing, again her voice distorted, she thingyed her head to the side, the amusement suddenly gone. Pressing her lips together, she twisted her right hand, making some of the dark matter flow to him and turn around the elf's body, almost like a threat.

Spying the trinket which was on his neck, she sneered and said, again her voice distorted.

"Ah, a believer of a god. How ridiculous and childish, to believe in such a fake persona." Taking strides forward, until she was a few inches away from Minh, she snarled once more, its now murky bloody eyes narrowed.

"You will pay my friend, I shall make sure you feel so much pain that you will be begging me for death, I assure you. Let's see if your 'god' will protect you." Breaking into another laughter, she bared her teeth as she raised both of her hands, an evil magic swirling around as it began to shroud her body, covering her in shadow.

"NO. PLEASE STOP, LET HIM GO!" Yelling this with pure desperation, Slyvia began to cry once more. Now on her feet, although she was very shaky, she continued to scream, knowing well that it was no use. She would not be able to stop her demon, its bloodlust was too large and its unfaltering hatred was overpowering her will.

[Laughing Man]

Minh stopped short at the first sound of the dark laughter, though his body remained in constant flowing motion. His mind working slowly as his head tilted to inspect the familiar figure,

"Sylvia...?" He asked a little more cautiously this time, worry filling his tone. The sun behind him was just dipping below the Ulrian Ridge, most of the forest was already cast in darkness and soon their small clearing would be as well. The Harlequin shuddered lightly as he looked upon her form, flowed to the left, and then regretted saying her name aloud as the Demon-Sylvia moved closer. He refused to let it get close enough to touch him, taking careful, fluidly even steps in the opposite direction to match her speed moving toward the Half-elf.

Suddenly the sound of a male erupted from the Demon-Sylvia, yet it was her body who was speaking, and the voice sent another shiver down Minh's spine causing him to reactively dance to the right in a bobbing, fluid motion that brought him low to the floor,

"You are Minh? You are the one whom is confusing my poor Slyvia?" inquired the puppeted Sylvia. Minh only stood ready to move, listening intently and watching for any signs of attack as he slid into a defensive position. Suddenly some foul magic poured toward him, and Minh hopped backward and away from it to land on his right foot with left leg outstretched to the left, eyes flickering only to inspect it momentarily before using what he was taught as a youngling - always look at your opponent's eyes,

"Ah, a believer of a god. How ridiculous and childish, to believe in such a fake persona." Mocked the Demon-Sylvia. Minh only offered a light smirk in return. He recognized that voice, that malificent intent in the bloody eyes. This was the thing he encountered before, inside Sylvia's dreams. He knew he would proably die if he fought the thing, but at the same time it seemed he had no choice. He flowed back a bit more, body moving as if flowing down a constant river, almost brining him to the edge of the clearing altogether as the sun was nearly all but a sliver of light on the horizon. The tattoos on his uncovered face began to change color slightly, from their normal black to the gentle blue hue as the moon's light wrestled with the dying star's for control,

"You will pay my friend, I shall make sure you feel so much pain that you will be begging me for death, I assure you. Let's see if your 'god' will protect you." Said the thing, then broke into some kind of laughter. Minh only interrupted with his own retorting laughter. High-pitched chirps rang out across the forest as the Half-elf looked as though he had lost his mind completely, head reared back in jovial fits of expression. His eyes snapped back onto the demon-Sylvia as he flipped to his left and into the tall shadow a wild oak was casting from the last of the sun's dying rays,

"So you are a shadow of true power. Only a worthless embarassment forced to prey upon weak little girls while claiming to be powerful? Pathetic. So sad it is to see so tiny a creature. I had hoped you were much more." His body seemed to melt into the shadow, becoming one as his voice distorted and echoed from every naturally-cast shadow nearby,

"You are a husk of what that young girl is. You can only acheive a small fraction of what she would be able to even if you gave it until the end of days! Powerless without the girl you haunt, leeching off of her like a child on it's mother's teet. But without the mother, you would die." He taunted, little glints of his face or arms could be seen, and as suspected now with his bare arms, they were covered in the same pattern tattoo as his face. It was as if the tattoo flowed around his body in the same manner his body flowed around the physical plane. As he used his Shadow walking ability to remain within the shadows, applying minute amounts of magic to transport himself between shadows in short jumps. This effectively allowed him to escape the magic, but he was not invulnerable. He had to choose a destination ahead of time before popping out of it.

His last choice was a branch above and to the left of the Demon-Sylvia where he watched silently, swaying gently with the soft breeze that had struck up to rustle the forest leaves as if nature itself abhored the abomination that existed within it's borders,

"So you torture this poor girl, all the while taunting powers that are infinitely times greater than your own? Sounds like you're just an arrogantly idiotic fool to me. Not so artistic as the girl, either. You cannot imagine what she can, such greatness resides within her and yet you would shatter all that for your own selfish games. But it will not be allowed so long as blood courses through my veins and my chest heaves with life, yours shall be made of misery and suffering until that day in which you decide to leave this poor being be." Said Minh, clutching one of his Starknives in his left hand, and the Sword of Desna in his right. He tossed the starknife at the creature, in order to gauge it's ability to dodge or deflect. If any attack was thrown back, he would immediately attempt to shadow walk his way back to the flank of the creature.

Minh's body was at peak performance, completely healed, it acted as youthful as ever - quick reflexes, steady hands, and superb balance along with that elven grace and dexterity meant that he was able to pull off all manner of tricks once again. Even his mind reacted to the state of his body as he fell into a more orater's dramatis personae. But his mind was not all there. He was hesitant to hurt the Demon-Sylvia for fear that it would maim Sylvia. He didn't want to harm one of the closest things he had come to know as a friend since his loss three years ago, and just today, that chapter was closed for good. Now all he had was faith in Desna, the clothes on his back, and Sylvia's friendship. And he was going to do what it took to keep her.

[boomdeboom]

[Oh gosh, this is going to be kind of confusing, but I'm changing the demon in a 'it' to make it easier instead of referring it to a 'she' as I did last time. Hopefully it won't be too confusing OTL]

"A sharp tongue, that could get you in a lot of trouble you know." Although it had to admit, the elf was getting on its very last nerve. Oh how much it just wanted to crush the life out of him, to see his blood run on its fingers, these slim fingers. This thought excited it, making a very large insanic grin stretch along its lips.

By now, Slyvia's body had now been consumed by it and now was seen as a walking black figure. Her once innocent pupils had now turned angular and were glowing very brightly. Her nails had now grown sharp, and her wings had grown a lot larger, the wounds healing within moments. This was the true form of the demon which lurked in her.

Pausing for a moment, it then said, its down now deadly serious as it narrowed its red irises.

"Why do you care for my Slyvia, hmm? Do elaborate why you would risk dying by my hands when you could walk away harm free, well as harm free as I'll allow it." The more it spoke, the more anger seeped into its tone and soon its hands were clenched into its fists as it stared into the darkness.

"She is mine, and mine alone. I will not allow her to be taken away by a fool." Ending with a snarl, it suddenly erupted into laughter, again which sounded it was on the verge of losing sanity. What a fool this elf was, a fool to believe that Slyvia would survive without it. Their souls were connected. Watching the movements, it was surprised to see him being able to preform such a technique, not that it worried it at all. In fact, it made more adrenaline pump into its body, causing the feathers to grow on its wings and more power to seep into its veins.

Not even avoiding the knife which was thrown at it, it merely let the knife fly into its arm, causing a gold shiny liquid to flow out. But, it didn't wince. Instead, it began to snicker, lifting its arm and taking the weapon out, throwing it back into the ground. Licking away some of the gold liquid which had come onto its fingers, it said in again a rather serious tone, although towards the end another grin broke onto its features, its fangs now sharp and ready for a hunt.

"Do not be mistaken by your beliefs of Slyvia. She is nothing, she is quite weak in fact. The girl in which you know is fake, this..." Stretching out its wings and spreading out its arms, it did a quick twirl on the bawls of its feet as it cackled.

"...this is the true Slyvia. She is enjoying this, she wants to kill you Minh. It is what she has been desiring this whole time. Your blood, on her fingers. Seeing the light, fade from your eyes. Even if she does not realize it, this is what she truly wants, deep inside her heart." Halting its twirling, it came to a graceful stop as it began to twist its hands, many different forms began to crawl up from, groaning and howling as they began to crawl onto the earth. Taking a deep breath, and exhaling slowly, it spoke once more, its voice becoming more clear as finally it began to fully take over Slyvia.

"Step away now, and I will let you live. Slyvia is nothing without me, we are one. There is nothing you can do to get rid of me without killing her. Don't worry about hurting her, many people have done the same thing to her. I will comfort her, as I always do~"

Inside, where Slyvia remained, she now refused to look at the images from her eyes. Curled into a ball, her face buried inside her knees. She had stopped crying long ago, as she knew it was no use. Her demon would not stop. Now, she just remained silent, the familiar sense of losing herself coming back to her once more. Although every now and again she could hear a voice, someone's voice. She remembered it was someone whom she liked, a very close friend. But...who? Perhaps someone...she used to know? It was a known fact that once her demon took over, she did tend to forget people. Maybe this was one of those people?

[Laughing Man]

Yes, show me your bag of tricks... thought the Harlequin with a bit of adrenaline pumping through his veins. He was moving behind a tree, keeping an eye on it, and more or less ignoring what the creature was saying. Talk was not important, but it helped to push rage over the edge - to give himself an upper hand while he remains the only clear-headed combatant. After all, he wasn't much of a fighter, all he could do is wittle down the advantages his opponent had and pray that he could stay out of the line of fire long enough to take them down.

"If I wanted to leave, whelp, I would have simply done so. The goddess cares for her faithful and would have carried me to safety. You, however, would be powerless to stop me either way. Why, even now you struggle to merely FIND me!" Called out Minh from behind a tree to the creature's Western flank. His cackling, laugh of harlequin madness rose out through the trees, dying down as he changed position and hid behind another tree,

"You call her weak, yet she manages to keep your sorry ass trapped in her for days at a time! I'd say she's a lot stronger in will and heart tan your pathetic, depraved ass!" mocked the harlequin again, repeating his plan of changing positions each time he spoke to try and confuse his enemy. He wasn't shadowdancing just yet, he saved that for when he was in open danger.

For a while he simply inspecting, watching the creature rant and rave by himself, screaming into shadows and flaring with anger. If Minh was correct, his plan was going quite well, but he had no idea what the creature was capable of. And there was always the chance that berserker rage would simply destroy anything in it's path. Right now, Minh fought the thoughts away from his conscious.

He stopped his movements, frozen still as a haunting suspisionc shivered it's way up his spine. What if it was telling the truth? What if he had just been another meal for her?. Poisoning his mind, the thouhts slowly seeped into his concentration and for a moment, he left himself exposed. His head turned to face the creature,

"You're lying, knave! If that were so, she would have killed me while we slept! But no, it is YOU who want me dead! Why should I believe you after all? You're a monster that resides within girl's body! " Shouted Minh, mostly reasoning with himself and trying to push the thoughts aside,

"You want to know why I'm still here? Willing to die for something? Because I'm not a loathsome, weak, selfish prick like you! And aside from that, I've nothing more to lose but the girl you've seen fit to inhabit! Therefore, it's only logical that I remain to fight for a friend in need!" He explained. The sudden dawning realization that he had been out in the open too long smacked him like a freight train and he dove to his right, away from the tall tree, and into a bush only to disappear into it's shadow.

He would jump 40meters East and come out of a small tree with a grey moth fluttering around it. At first he simply watched it, then it fluttered away into the forest,

"Not this time, I'm afraid...Forgive me, Desna." he whispered, ignoring the moth's warning and turning his attention back to the fight.

[boomdeboom]

Around it, the dark creatures continued to rise from the ground, wrapping themselves around it's body, saying words in a forgotten language. These, were its pets. Its servants, they followed every word without hesitation. It had been some time since the demon had last seen them, and so stroked the head of them, sblack personing as he did so. This was going to be a rather fruitful night, it could already taste the blood of its victims on its tongue. All it needed was to get rid of this annoying distraction first.

The creatures hissed as he insulted their master, but it only merely gave a grin, saying in reply.

"Ah, but you see I do not want to do anything Slyvia does not wish to do, I care for her too much. To see her upset if I forced her to change, it would pain me too much to watch, hence why I allow her to keep me under lock and key, until the times when she needs me."

By now, the anger which had built up inside of it was beginning to disappear. There was no need to get its feathers ruffled over mere sayings, it was what the elf wanted. To see it get angry. But, of course, if he only knew what would happen if it got angry. A part of it wanted to get angry, just to show him. To show him its destruction, but alas, it decided against it. Mostly because it was beginning to enjoy this, especially since it found a weakness in the elf.

"Because, she enjoys a good hunt. She enjoys her meal most to people whom she cared for, it gives her that satisfaction, to see the horror on their faces, the betrayal as she kills them. Gives her a sense of thrill. Haha, I do indeed want to kill you Minh, and you do not have to believe me. You will see it for yourself when Slyvia regains her power back and kills you herself, a smile on her face as she does so. I am merely taking over to help her recover, she is weak from those humans and stupid creatures from before. Then, once she has gotten her strength, I will allow her to finish this off." Placing its hands on its mouth, a laugh breaking from its lips, it noticed that the elf had let down its guard and now it could see where he was. This was going to be a powerful weakness. Not saying a word, only giving a blink, it was enough to let the creatures who still clung around its body. They didn't need a command, they could sense their masters desires. And so, with howls of delight, they sprinted towards the darkness to where the elf laid.

As they ran, in order to possibly aggravate the elf, it began to form the creatures into a rather familiar shape. In a matter of moments, the dark creatures were now replicas of Slyvia, although there were noticeable differences, such as the completely black eyes, but it would still cause a thrill for the demon as it say the reaction. However, it seemed it reacted a second too late as the some of the creatures crashed into a tree before they could grab Minh, whom had disappeared. Still, the remaining others continued to run in the darkness, searching, and the ones who had missed picked themselves up and joined the others within moments. In order to possibly distract the elf, it continued to talk, to make that single weakness grow.

"You know, Slyvia, she killed an entire village when she was a young child. Her mother gave her up for a bit of spare money. Her own mother." Obviously, this annoyed the demon, as it snarled at the name of 'mother'.

"That's why she doesn't connect with anyone, she doesn't trust a single soul. Everyone she has ever cared for has betrayed her, all for money. Quite a sad story, don't you think? 'Course she always got her revenge, and she always enjoyed it, seeing their faces, tasting their blood. It was a huge thrill for her. That's why she will not hesitate to kill you, she doesn't trust you. She doesn't care for you as a friend, you're only a walking meal. And when she's , like she is now, you're flesh will be hers to devour, of course she will probably torture you a while. That's her preferred killing method~" Although the demon was lying, it knew only too well that in the end Slyvia always regretted her killings, it knew Minh didn't know. Slyvia was not one to talk about her past, and that would be used to its advantage.

[Laughing Man]

Minh continued his movements, but no matter how hard he tried, poisoning thoughts slid into his mind as the Demon continued speaking. He stopped again at the thought of watching Sylvia slaughter an entire village, images of the burning town with Sylvia's contorted, laughing face forced their way to his mind and again, he left himself exposed. He nearly lost his head as one of the Doppleganger Syliva's swung at him, but he managed to roll forward through the dirt, sticking out his right leg to stop the roll, and keeping his left knee against the ground, his body twisted so his right hand could block the attack from the next one, but they were stronger than he was. His skills were speed and deception, straight combat was always where he would lose - as he did with the humans. A third closed in, and he struggled to roll away, but it slammed his leg, spun him and he flew into a tree, then landed on the ground with a thud.

Groaning lightly as the world swam slowly the coppery taste of blood in his mouth from where he had bit his lip stang his dry mouth, evidence that he was nervous. He backpedalled a bit, putting distance between him and the doppleganger-Sylvia's for that was all he could think of them as, and sank into the shadow of a tree to re-appear 40 meters to the South, running West through the shrubs until he could rest a moment, watching the creatures, and then the demon itself.

Somewhere, Minh's mind broke down on the inside - the stress of losing Aria again, and now the only other person he'd considered a friend was apparently lying to him the entire time, leading him on to have him as another meal. It was enough for him, and he sank into the shadows, jumped out 40 meters south, and then repeated this rapidly, exhausting his energy to get as far from the voices, the lies, and Sylvia as he could, collapsing a few minutes later in a heap near some brush. With a heaving chest that struggled to take in enough breath for his body to function, his mind started rambling, but he was too tired to take notice.