Fun time.

[boomdeboom]

With satisfaction, as it eventually found that its only competition and threat had no run away, it let out a small hiss and although they protested, the creatures returned, their forms of Slyvia abandoned and were now once more dark forms, although they were becoming more human like as the demon's power continued to grow. Although it wanted to kill the half elf, a lot, it decided to put it off, to torture the mind of him until he had completely turned his back on Slyvia. Forever. Mind games were what the demon did best, as this was again confirmed by the fact that a trusted friend of her had disappeared, like a coward.

Stretching out its wings as it walked into the middle of a clearing, it began to laugh. Soon, this laugh turned into a large screech, which echoed through the night, causing a flock of birds which slept in the trees to fly up in fright. After a few moments of this chilling scream, it halted, beginning to laugh once more. But, a frown grew on its face, causing the laughter to hault. Inside it, a slight bit of power was growing.

Having brought up her face to watch the fight, she began to remember slightly of the person whom kept on flashing up. Minh. Vague murky memories began to clear as each moment passed. But, this person, Minh, was beginning to panic, she could sense it in the emotions of her demon, whom was enjoying playing with his mind. This was beginning to hurt her, almost as if she were losing someone very close to her, almost a family member. But, she had no family. Then....why did she feel the hurt growing as Minh's friendship began to falter, almost questioning her motives. How could he believe this demon's lies? Standing up from her crouched state, she began to shout, trying to get him to listen, to say they were all lies. Of course, this was of no use, because soon he had disappeared, and she was left alone, feeling bitter, sad, and once more alone. Her memories began to fog up again, but she refused to let herself forget that person's name again, although she still couldn't remember him too well, but she did know that they were close. So, as if to break through the darkness, she screamed.

Not expecting this sudden burst of energy, it couldn't help as it also let out a scream, although it was Slyvia's scream, her soul having a very short moment of breaking from the entrapment. Of course, the demon was quick to shut her off and forced its mouth shut. The dark creatures hissed and snarled, wrapping once more around its body, and as it began to beat its wings, they too sprouted wings and began to follow its beat. In a matter of moments, they were airborne, and the demon began to head to the nearest town, its bloodthrist now becoming to great to handle. Along with it, the creatures followed, letting out high pitched screeches as they flew.

[Laughing Man]

Minh's chest heaved in the dim moonlight as a piercing howl cracked the night.

Look at you... Pathetic! You talk all of that, then run away!
Coward!
Weak!
Whelp!
Useless!
What would your Father think?

"My Father wouldn't care!" Shouted the Half-elf into the night sky as light tears streamed out of his eyes to turn the dirt to mud.

You're pathetic, you know? You're just as much a monster as that thing.

Monster...

Monster.

Monster?

Minh's mind reeled back, like a casette tape on re-wind as the memories of the past few days played in reverse through his head until finding their point.  Suddenly it stopped and started playing, his breathing stopped, his tears stopped, and time seemed to hold its breath, even the forest seemed to have faded to allow him to focus,

Wrapping her wings around her, trying to protect her from the pain which ran through her body, she began to shiver as her screaming ceased, now just murmuring to herself as she saw spots flash in her eyes.

"Please kill me. . .please kill me. . ."  The images ran through his head, blurred at first, mostly because of the position he was in at the time - lying broken on the forest floor, but he could remember. The pain in her voice, the screaming followed by the soft, sad whimpers and begging for death to take her,

"I'm so sorry Minh. . .this is all my fault. . ." Knowing that if she had just not flown this way, he wouldn't have faced them, and so wouldn't have gotten hurt. She should have just taken them all on, or just willingly had died when that first arrow pierced her. She always brought pain and sadness to all of the people around her. Sobbing inside of her bloody wings, she retracted her blood hand from his forehead, bringing inside of her feathers as she wrapped them around her shoulders, trying to stop the cold which was making its way through her body.

The memories became more clear, but he still didn't understand why they were surfacing now, of all times.  This wasn't the time to have flashbacks of any kind,

"You think that I would leave you here alone, knocked out, and then get killed by any animal that could come through her? Psh." Lifting herself up, wincing as pain shot through her body once more, she turned around. Stumbling a bit, she then sat back down, sighing as she leant herself against the bark of a tree. Either side of her, her wings laid lifelessly on their sides, their bloody feathers ruffling from the wind which blew softly through the forest.


"M-My bag with your charm. . ."


"I-I need to find it!"

The last words echoed through his mind, soul, and very being.  The frantic, panicked, worry in her voice.  That would not come from someone who was waiting to kill and eat him.  It couldn't have come from the Monster that the Demon described Sylvia as.

Dumbass. It was lying.  He insulted himself and stood up as fast as he could,

"You think I don't know that?!" He grumbled aloud, to the forest. Nothing answered back but the call of night animals and instects as the gentle moon eased itself above.  Offerin a quick prayer to Desna, Minh surged Northward with newfound strength.  The strength wasn't anything of divine intervention, nor was it any hidden, latent power; It was rage. Rage that he had been lied to.  Rage that he had bought into and believed the lies.  Rage that some Monster was using Sylvia like a puppet. It would take a short while, since he was restraining from using magic for the moment.  That only drained him faster, but running - running he could do effortlessly.

"Damn it, I'm going to slice his ugly head off..." roared Minh, and for the first time it wasn't during some recitation of a song or play, or a story from long past. For the first time, this was his chance to do something right, but first he had to help is friend.

[boomdeboom]

Landing soundlessly in the outskirts of a random village, the dark creatures began to snicker to themselves, landing beside the demon and going on ahead into the village, their forms now taking a human shape, although a neon blue liquid dripped out of their mouth. The smell of humans, fresh humans, was strong. It made them all . And so, it did not hesitate as it stalked into the village. With each step, its dark body began to turn back into Slyvia. But, she was still not in control. Her body was only a mere disguise.

Stopping in front of the first house, it could hear the laughter of children, probably playing with their toys. So innocent. Little did they know the cruel fate of what was going to happen. But, this did not bother it. In fact, it excited it. The screams of children, along with the shouts of their parents, were music to its ears. Beautiful sweet sounding music. The mere thought of it, and the image, made a demonic grin appear on its lips. Raising its hand, Slyvia's hand, it gave a light knock, its face innocent. It covered its bright red irises by placing some of Slyvia's black locks over its eyes. Then, in a matter of moments, the door opened, the bright innocent eyes of a child looking up. It had begun.

- - -

Her voice now becoming hoarse from the endless screaming, she stopped. Falling to her knees, she began to grab her hair, a swirl of emotion suddenly flowing through her once numb body. Tears had now come to her eyes and were flowing down her cheeks freely, falling into the darkness. She hated feeling like this, feeling so lost. Her demon was making people whom she cared about run away, believing she was a monster. Well, she was a monster, but she was somewhat human too. She still had feelings.

Since the vision of what was happening had closed ever since Minh had run away, she jumped slightly as once more she began to hear noise and see a light. Raising her bowed head, she felt her heart drop as she saw what the demon was now doing. Blood, blood everywhere. The red liquid dripping from the walls, from the bodi-- Looking straight away as she caught a glimpse at the twisted corpse, she felt , and so bent over and began to retch violently. The sight of the murder she caused always had the same reaction for her. Of course, her obvious distaste to it didn't falter how the demon acted. In fact, it drove it more, as if by doing so it would eventually cause her to go insane, in which case it would gain complete control over her.

Hearing more screams and many sounds which made her stomach more , she covered her ears and bent down, wanting to hide away from the disgusting scene.

- - - -

As the creatures let out delightful screeches, eating away the flesh of many of the corpses, the demon began to snicker. Low dark snickers. Its body was leaning forwards, its wings outspread and its hands dripping with blood. Licking the red liquid away with its tongue as it raised its hand, it turned around as it once more heard the shout of more of the villagers. Now holding torches and knives, it surged forward, only to be killed with moments by the dark creatures whom ran forward and bit their throats out. Although they did allow the demon to kill some, which it did slowly, relishing in the screams of its victims. Once more as the village became silent, the cry of a child echoed. Turning around, its red orbs shining, it began to laugh as a young child was on the ground, covered in the blood of its parents, clinging onto a small teddy.

Taking a small steps forward, it bent down so that it was eye level with the child. Staring into its eyes, the child began to back away, only to be stopped by the demon gripping onto its arm, causing it to scream and hit its arm. Of course, the crying soon stopped, as it raised its arm, its fingernails now as sharp as a knife, and gave a quick swipe, beheading the child. Raising itself, its body now covered with fresh blood, it began to cackle, taking a large bite from the arm of the child corpse, which was still in its grasp. Oh, how it loved to kill. But now, it needed to move on. This village was now silent, the doors of each house on its hinges and the walls painted with blood. The corpses of the villagers were littered in the street, well what was remaining of them, since the dark creatures had begun to feed.

[Laughing Man]

His feet plodded noisily, each pounding footstep carrying him closer to his goal - or so he thought. A roaring noise flew in the opposite direction, over the canopy but he couldn't make out what it was. Thinking it was simply an or bat, he pushed forward. Branches were shoved aside, a quick leap over a shrub here, dodging some roots there, and bursting through bushes as Minh's rage-filled charge drove him closer to the cause of it all. He burst into the opening, and stopped short. Clots of grass kicked up and the Half-elf rolled forward, then kicked his foot out to stabalize his slowing down. A raised sword was held ready to defend from an anticipated attack, but nothing was there. No attack came, no creatures tried to rip his flesh away. No cackling, mad laughter roared from a twisted image of Sylvia. The clearing was... Empty.

His chest rose and fell slowly, he wasn't nearly as tired as he should have been, but the pulse in his chest felt like it was threatening to burst his veins. Glancing around slowly, he blinked a few times and strained his eyes to make out anything moving in the shadows. Gears began turning as his thoughts turned to where it would have gone. Did it know there was a village nearby? Which direction was it?

He tried to orient his position based upon the moon, but honestly had no idea where he was. Images flashed across his mind, travelling on the roads in caravans, most of which ran by rivers. Rivers usually flowed South. Was there a river nearby?

Nope. He had nothing. Shoulders slacked in disappointment, and his head hung while legs gave out under him, dropping to his bottom with his legs turned behind him. He raised his head to roar in frustration, then stopped. The thing he had seen earlier. Flying over head?

Could have been her.
Of course it was her.
It might not be.
I think it was just an .
You sure? Seemed like it was something bigger.

"Worth a shot." He mumbled, shutting out the rest of his thoughts and climbing to his feet, using the ornate sword to stand up. With a quick leap in the direction he came, he burst back into the thick forest and started like a panther on prey's tail, deftly manuevering through the forest. His feet could only carry him so far, so fast, and he had to maintain focus and keep his energy up or else he'd not have the strength to fight this thing when he caught up with it.

There was no giving up, though. Not anymore. He wasn't going to lose two people he'd come to care about in one day. Thoughts of Aria ran through his mind at that memory, causing him to slow momentarily as he almost collapsed. The grief suddenly hit him square in the chest. Like a needle aimed for his heart, and he was completely unprepared for the feeling of utter loss and anguish that wracked him. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, and it was all he could do to not collapse to the floor in despair. His chest heaved with the emotional outburst, and he stopped in the forest, falling to his knees and clutching his stomach. Aria was everything to him, or had been. She was the entire reason he even contacted those vile Fae anymore, the sole reason he put up with their abuse, was so that he could see her every day. Now, when he was close to earning her freedom, she threw her life away to protect him.

The world was full of unimaginable cruelty. It was hard to find a good soul left among the thousands of corrupt, evil, malign creatures that inahbited the surface of the planet, and Aria was one of those people. Never had he met a person like her, a person who didn't care that he was only half an elf, or helf a human. She saw him as an entire person, counted him for his deeds rather than his lineage, and was kind to him where others turned him away.

But she saved another, too.
Yeah, that Sylvia girl.
She's a monster, though.
Not any more than you, or Aria was.
Aria had problems, but she was always kind to us.
So was Sylvia. She gave us food, remember?
She also seemed to think us lucky to be half-elf.
We should help her.
Yeah,
Uh-huh.
Fine, yeah.

Minh wiped a tear from his eye and clutched his free hand to his penant, soaked in a few tears that had ran down his chest. He stood steadily, clutching the sword in his right hand, and started off again.

------------------------------
A few moments later, the Half-elf came upon the edge of the forest, dried tears caking and making his skin feel taut as he gazed out over a small village. He sensed something was wrong... Most of the lights were out, and there were no guards around the entrances, or manning the walls.

Creeping closer, sticking to the shadows, Minh managed to make it to the front gates without any kind of trouble. He vanished into a shadow, and appeared 40meters away, in an alley by some of the houses closer to the gate. Already the smell of blood and excrement soiled the night air, as a breeze brought the stench his way. It was the smell of death.

Eery was the silence that choked the night, just as breath was choked in Minh's throat as he stalked upon the city, horrified by the atrocities committed within it's walls. His stomach turned, and he bent over to vomit into an alley that was strewn with blood. Men, children, women, of all ages. There was no pity, nobody was spared. It shook the Harlequin to his core, and for a moment his own troubles were completely forgotten as he wept quietly at the fate of this village.

Little did he know, there were still dangers lurking within it's doomed gates...

[boomdeboom]

Stranger. . .
New kill. . .
One from before. . . .
Alone. . .
Kill. . . .kill. . .
His blood. . .kill. . .kill. . .kill

The dark creatures murmured these words to themselves, as if they were calling to eachother. Although they were feasting, they were still . Because they had not feasted for so long, due to the demon being constricted by Slyvia, they wanted to make the most out of the time they had. Plus, because they knew it a matter of moments who the stranger was, they wanted to not waste much time. The person whom insulted their master, he would not be forgiven. They would make sure he suffered a slow and very painful death. Yes, hear him scream, to see the blood slowly drip out of his flesh as they slowly tore about his limbs. These thoughts were in the minds of all the creatures, and a low bloodchilling snicker was let out by all of them. Abandoning their half eaten meals, they all made their way towards the half elf. But, this time they were quiet. Hiding in every shadow, not letting the moonlight show their presence. When he finally found out they were there, it would be too late.

Noting the disturbance in the creatures, the demon gave a look behind him, raising an eyebrow as they all began to move further into the street, hiding behind the houses. Then, after listening to their mumures, it realized what they were doing, and this made a large grin appear. It appeared that Minh had come back, how very interesting. Deciding to play yet more mind games with him, it retracted its wings into its spine and once more took on the shape of Slyvia. Well, a bloodstained Slyvia. Besides the blood, it looked like the real deal, it was even feasted enough to change its usual red irises back to the normal innocent blue ones. Brushing back Slyvia's back locks, it then followed after the dark creatures, sending a message not to kill Minh until it had given the signal.

After a few moments of walking down the corpse littered street, it spotted its victim. In an alleyway, puking. Obviously he didn't like the smell of blood too much. Pathetic. With a couple of more shaky steps, it called to Minh, again using Slyvia's innocent voice which was both worried and scared.

"Minh. . . .there's so much blood. . .I'm scared. . .those creatures. . ." Wrapping Slyvia's arms around her shoulder, it laid down its head, beginning to sob. However, because the black hair had shrouded its face, he could not see the grin which was on its lips as it cried. It was not going to let the half elf leave this time, no, it had given mercy to him that time, but now it was different.

- - - -
Now that things had gotten quiet, she had allowed herself to give a quick look, and sighed with relief as she saw no blood or corpses. All she could see were the houses on either side, and although she saw something on the walls, she just told herself that it was ketchup. Not blood. Besides, she had something more worrying on her mind. Why was it moving? From what she could tell, it had not properly feasted. Usually it would spend hours eating, yet it was moving away. Something was terribly wrong.

This was confirmed as she finally saw its next victim. The elf from before. . .Minh was it? Yes, Minh. He had come back. This made her less sorrowful, but it did make her a lot more worried. Why had he come back? Didn't he realize he was going to get murdered? Why didn't he run from the demon? These were answered as she heard the familiar echo as it spoke. Her voice. It was using her voice. The bastard. It was going to trick Minh, that was why he wasn't running away. It was covering its true form, Minh would be able to tell the difference until it was too late. Feeling the tears swell up, she began to shout into the darkness what more. Shouting warning and pleads.

"Minh, run! Don't come near me! It's the demon! It'll kill you! P-Please. . . .run, a-and don't come back!" Her voice began to break as she began to cry, knowing that he was going to die with her hands. Although she knew there was no way that he would be able to hear her, she still prayed that it would. Whom she prayed to, she didn't know. She just prayed, hoping that someone or something would hear her.

[Laughing Man]

The Half elf rested against the cement quietly, not looking around, not even blinking. He was simply staring at the body on the floor in front of him. Despair choked him as the smell of death choked the area around him. The streets ran crimson with the blood of innocence, gleaming softly in the moonlight. Unaware of the danger approaching him until the demon spoke, Minh had been staring, struck with fear and anxiety, depression, and a deep, sinking feeling of utter loss. He didn't know any of these people, and he wept not for them. It was the simple disregard for life, the utter destruction that had been wreaked for no apparent reason for which the Half-elf wept.

"Minh. . . .there's so much blood. . .I'm scared. . .those creatures. . ." Said a quiet, scared voice. Or so it sounded scared. Minh's eyes slowly traveled up to find Sylvia's form before him. His eyes were struck deep with red, blood vessels visible as it was clear he had been weeping. His eyelids were darkened, and the eyes opened wide in horror, his pupils dialated and small. His entire body was shaking visibly, and he could not speak. His mouth moved, but no words escaped. There was nothing he could say at that moment. Seeing Sylvia drenched in blood only brought him more rage and anguish. Should he kill her? Stop this whole cycle? Or is it still not her fault? Should she be spared?

Thoughts plagued his mind, but his body's fight or flight instinct had him backpedaling as Sylvia moved closer. He was afraid of her. No, he was terrified of her. It was written on his face, completely displayed in the moonlight, for all to see. The expression gave his tatoos an eerily-twisted appearance, and in the moonlight they glimmered a blue sheen.

Slowly, his feet moved without his conscious effort, stepping into areas of the street slick with fresh blood. He almost tripped over the intestines of a small child as his foot landed between its severed torso and hips. Another wave of nausea assaulted his stomach, but he swallowed back the bile.

The same distance remained between them until a small, light green moth made its way into his view. Off to the right, it fluttered around a torch for a bit, seemingly unaffected by the firelight. But as the wind rolled in to carry the stench of death across the village, a glimmer of something hidden in the shadows caught Minh's eye. Half-elves, like Elves, had what came to be known as Darkvision, allowing them to see in darker places than would normally be allowd due to their eyes being more receptive to light. Immediately, his heart jumped a few paces and his face flickered to other shadows nearby. It was clear from his reaction that he knew something was going on. He tried to speak, but his throat closed up and he was forced to swallow hard before a hoarse voice spoke out into the night,

"Sylvia. We need to leave now. N-n-now is t-time to go." He stuttered, quietly.

The sword in his hand bounced into the freshly stripped skull of a woman, and reminded Minh that the weapon was still in his hand, forcing him to grip it tighter as the edge became slick with blood. He started to move more, as the numbness brought on by emotional drain faded and his mind returned to the present. He still wasn't sure about Sylvia, but wasn't going to leave her here either.

Careful. Something is watching.
I know, I feel it.
Those things turned into Sylvia earlier. Could be a trap.
I remember that.
Me, too. They looked like her only darker.
Maybe this one is better at it?
Where'd the moth go?

His eyes moved to where the moth previously was, and it had vanished completely. It seems Desna had favored Minh once again, or somebody's prayers had been answered. Minh thanked his matron Goddess, aloud. His eyes re-focused on Sylvia but he said no more, and continued backing up toward the gates, and the forest. He was planning on jumping into the nearest shadow if he had to. Uknown to him, however - there were things waiting in those shadows for him.

[boomdeboom]

"Let him go you bastard! He's done nothing! Let him go, you twisted creature! Please let him go. . .!" Through her sobs, she shouted curses into the darkness, pleading and begging for the demon to have mercy. She knew, just knowing that her only friend died by her hands once more threw her into a frenzy. It was rare of her to experience so much emotion in a matter of moments. This was known to the demon as well, she could tell its confusion in its soul as it listened to her pleads, but it said no reply. It continued on with its act, and she knew if she couldn't stop him, Minh was about to suffer a slow death, and she knew his last dying breath would be in her memory for the rest of her life. Even to see his scared face as he looked at her made her feel sad. He was so scared of her. Then, why did he come back for her? He should have just let his fear take control. Before it was too late.

- - - -

Excellent. It seemed as if Minh believed that it was the real Slyvia, exactly as how the demon planned it. Raising its bowed head, the grin now gone from its face, it looked at the half elf, Slvyia's blue eyes bloodshot as tears came down her face. It then said, again using her voice.

"Y-You're scared of me. . .Minh don't be scared. . .t-the demon is gone. . .I got my power back. . .we're safe. . .so please don't be scared. . ." Saying in a soft voice, it gave a small smile. Then, slowly getting up, swaying from side to side, it nodded, giving paranoid looks over its shoulders. This, was of course all an act. It was really just seeing if the creatures were gathered, and they were, their teeth bared and in pouncing positions, ready to attack, but not kill. No, not yet. It would have the pleasure of killing him.

Following Minh's movement, it swayed back in forth, to make it seem as if Slyvia was in a state of shock of some sort and was just weary from the days events. Of course, this was not the case at all, but the demon just loved its mind games. It was a creature whom just loved to break down people, to expose their weaknesses and then crush them. It was like a game, a game which it was going to win.

Just as it was about to give a flick of its hand, a signal which would cause the end to Minh, it paused. Not because it was hesitating, or having second thoughts. No, something was stopping it. A power, the same power it had sensed earlier, except this time it had become quite powerful. Maybe it should have eaten to regain its full strength, its power was beginning to weaken. Almost as if to prove how weak it had suddenly gotten, its knees gave way, and it fell to the ground. With a pounding headache, it wrapped Slyvia's arms around its head as it began to snarl. Sensing that their master was in danger, the creatures began to move, taking it as a sign to take out the enemy incase they took advantage.

Slyvia's skin began to turn black once more as it began to hiss, its disguise now fading away. Where was this power coming from? Slyvia? Why now?

- - -

Seeing the thoughts of what the demon was going to do to Minh was the last straw. Anger was now beginning to form in her body, and even though tears were still coming down her cheeks, they were tears of anger more then sadness. Standing in a straight position, she took a deep breath and clenched her hands into fists. It was literally only a matter of seconds before he was as good as dead, since the creatures were now making their move. So, giving again a prayer that it would work, she clenched her eyes shut and let out a very large yell, which in the end made her throat go raw from the sheer power.

"MINH, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, NOW"

Not expecting this sudden yell, which already happened before, its mouth opened and so said this. Of course, realizing what it just said, it let out a large screech and jumped up back onto its legs, pouncing forward, determined not to let him escape once more.

[Laughing Man]

The next few moments passed very, very slowly for the Harlequin. He was nearly at the edge of the gates, the scene of gore and destructions was laid out behind Sylvia like a testament, proving all she had done. It was haerd for his mind to wrap around, being thrown between opinions and lies and deceit for the past day, or very possibly the past FEW days. It was too much for his mind to handle. Several strings had been pulled taut by the last few days' events. Mostly his emotions and his comprehension of reality. He had even met his Goddess, or so he thought, face to face. He had something to walk away with it, too. The proof was in his hand. Could he really have met her? Or was it some other miracle? He could not say, and for the moment all he did was listen,

"Y-You're scared of me. . .Minh don't be scared. . .t-the demon is gone. . .I got my power back. . .we're safe. . .so please don't be scared. . ." Said Sylvia in a soft, sad tone. Minh so very badly wanted not to be scared, but what he wanted and what was happening were two VERY different things.

A light gust blew in through the gates again, and with it came the smell of the forest, rather than death. This brought some comfort, however small, to Minh. Like that first breath of fresh air after breaking the surface of the water. It was like stepping out of a horror scene, but still standing there looking at it. The momentary clarity allowed him to blink a few times as the fuzziness clouding his thoughts faded further. The grip that the town's death had on his mind was slipping away, as if the person choking him simply became tired and their hold was weakening.

Just as he was about to respond, the Sylvia-thing started acting weird, grabbing at her head and falling forward to her knees.

"Wha-" He started questioningly as the creatures lept from the shadows. He glanced around warily, his moment of clarity turned to panic once more as his adrenaline started pumping through his form. The sword was raised delicately, but it felt odd in his hands. He had been rudimentarily trained in many forms of weapons when he was young - he was going to be the Caravan's guard. A dipsensible form of defense, since they didn't want him looking bad in front of their audiences when they did shows. But after years of never touching anything other than his starknives, the sword was awkward.

"MINH, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, NOW" Roared forth from Sylvia's mouth, bringing his attention back to her as the thing's skin turned black again. Slowly, the image of Sylvia deteriorated into the demon from before. His mind warped further, breaking down and shutting down non-essential, areas to focus on survival because the thought of trying to comprehend what was going on, piled with everything else that had happened in such a short amount of time was too much for him to handle. Base instinct didn't completely override logical reasoning, however. He still had tactics to plan out. As the Demon leapt for Minh, and the creatures closed in, Minh did the most logical thing possible.

He leapt toward the Demon.

But, not directly at it. From where the fire-lit torch was off the right of him, now behind the demon and to its left, the shadow cast by the demon now on its way to murder Minh, gave the Shadowdancer the opportunity to escape. And so, Minh dove toward that shadow and melted into it. The only shadow he was incapable of hiding in was his own. Any other shadow generated, no matter how small, was a chance for him to escape.

His voice would ring out from the surrounding shadows,

"You are but a pale imitation. A frail shadow under the harsh sun. You use the shadows to conceal, where I live in them. They are my home, and a part of me as the Goddess Wills, I shall travel their darkened paths. Where she deigns, I go to find her presence. In all things, our Goddess spreads beauty and on the path of life, shall I walk in her shadow..."

He prayed silently, reciting some verses from the book that reflected the current situation. His voice was not even, but rather filled with a sort of righteous rage and cold, calculating undertone. There was no more real emotion to be had. He was going to kill, and for that, emotions must not be present.

Of course, he wasn't even sure if he COULD kill this thing, but he was certainly going to try. First, though.. He would have to deal with the creatures.


Slipping between shadows, he would hop out from the side of a building in a dark alley, slash at the creature's throat, then be back in the other side of the alley before the others could react. The gurgling noise attracted their attention, which Minh used as a distraction to slice another's throat, using similar tactics. Each time he would change it, though. Maybe he'd come from above here, slash a throat there. Stab an eye here, or even come from the ground there.

His intention was to confuse, making swift, but not very powerful strikes, and to keep the creatures guessing where he would show up next.


<<I figure I should mention that I'm basing his abilities off of a high-level Shadowdancer and low-level Cleric from the D20 Pathfinder RPG game. The character design is mine, but the actual abilities he uses are restricted and based off that game for fairness. They're not just random things I'm making up for convenience =P though the Moths are. Divine Intervention is a bit tricky to make 'Fair'>>

[boomdeboom]

[ Pfft, unfortunately I don't really know the D20 Pathfinder RPG game, so I'm afraid I'll just have to trust your movements :'D From what I can tell, it does seem to be fair, but again I'm not too familiar on the Shadowdancer moves OTL Again with the demon and creatures, just to let you know, it is possible to kill the creatures just like how Minh has done so. And the demon, it is also possible to kill, its weakspot being around the chest area. But, by hurting it, you will hurt Slyvia too. And when the sun comes up, it'll become a lot weaker as well, since it loses a lot of power in the sunlight. Sorry, that came out a bit longer then expected. ]

Catching the demon off guard once more, it crashed into the ground as it found that the half elf had moved rather quickly and had dodged its attack. Beginning to lose its temper, it picked itself up and again threw itself into the shadows to where he disappeared, again only to fall to the ground. Letting out a screech of frustration, it kicked a large hole into house which stood beside it.

Throwing its gaze over to an odd sound, it found an unusual sight. Its creatures were dying, something which it thought was not possible, but alas here it was happening. Their blood was gushing at their throats as they let out soundless screams, falling to the ground and going up in smokes, leaving onto a pile of black liquid behind. One by one they started to fall, until only a handful was left, and there were becoming panicked and were letting out random slashes at the shadows, hoping to hurt the elf with their large claws, but they only met air. And soon, they too fell, and the remaining others crowded around the demon, whimpering as they wrapped themselves around its body, not used to seeing their fellow creatures dying before them. They buried their dark faces into its body, letting out cries as they began to plead for the demon to let them return to their world, not wanting to see any more of their friends die. Of course, the demon ignored them, shaking them all off roughly before stalking out into the middle the corpse littered street. Once in the middle, it merely stopped, not saying anything. Only listening. Letting its mind empty, even the thoughts of killing, it began to focus on hearing, listening to the world around it. Closing its eyes to get better concentration, it then heard what it was looking for. A slight disturbance, something no one would usually notice. It was very faint, but the way the wind blew around a certain area of shadow gave it a small hope that it was there that the elf laid at that moment. So, with no hesitation, its eyes snapped open once more and in a second slashed the shadows with a quick movement. This move was not meant to kill, it wasn't even to hurt. It was just to see if its method was true and gave it an idea as to where the shadowdancer laid.

- - - -

Since she had broken through the demon's mental wall quite a few times, it had now put a very strong persistent mental wall, to make sure she did not break through as easily. This meant that she was now once more in the dark, again seeing what was happening but not able to do anything about it. Like watching a movie.

She was glad that Minh seemed to get the message, although he did not run away like she had hoped. In fact, it seemed as if he was going to fight her demon. A complete idiot. Although, she did know that in a few hours the sun would rise, and hopefully by that time she would have regained enough strength to take back her body and lock her demon away once more. Of course, whether Minh could last that long was another story. She knew that when the demon got annoyed, its bloodlust also grew, and that meant there was no chance in hell that it was going to let Minh go easily, or painlessly. This made her anxiously wring her hands. Although the numbness had gone from her body, and she felt a bit more powerful and not so much lost anymore, she still knew it would be some time until she could attempt to break it once more. So, not wanting to watch what was going on as it just made her anxiety worse, she closed her eyes and let herself be consumed by the silent darkness. She was going to wait until she got some power back into her weary body. And so, giving a prayer, although she was unsure who she was praying too, she fell asleep.

[Laughing Man]

<< I seriously wanted to break something ;_;

So sorry for the week-long delay. Lots of business going about. This may or may not be as good as the first post. I might have made it a bit better, actually so I'm happy there. Anywhooo... Enjoy >>

The harlequin danced. Danced as he had never done before. Danced along the edges of the shadows, his home, and his savior. Danced the precipice of vision and reality, for where magic was involved, such things were irrelevant. The tatoos on his skin played silver in the moonlight where he was visible, and a deep blue when he was not, casting his face in flashes of macabre expressions that mingled with his rage and broken mind. He spun poems of blood and glory, all the while remaining hidden as possible,

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori:
mors et fugacem persequitur virum
nec parcit inbellis iuventae
poplitibus timidove tergo."


His sanity had fled soon after the first creature fell. When the decision to take life reared its ugly head, as he had before with the men in the forest, his darker side took over. But he relished it. Welcome the battle hymns that filled his thoughts with lust for blood and destruction. For he was a Shadowdancer - he was what he had always been born to be. A tool of the Caravan, a weapon with which they defended themselves, forged from slective breeding, and cast out of normal society to become an alienated weapon of their own devising. He was taught swords and spears while others were learning math and language...

This had always been his path, but he had ran away at too young an age to be given the knowledge of why his existence has been as it had. He had snapped too soon, and the caravan lost their tool. Of course, Minh had no way of knowing any of this now - his family was slaughtered by the bandits he was meant to protect them from.

So he began to sing. A battle hymn of destruction and conquest, as the blood slicked along his arms and feet and landed hot, fresh, and moist against his face. He fell into that corner of his mind that he enjoyed, that feeling of power as life, if it could be called such in these creatures, drained from their pathetic eyes and fell to the floor with their crumpled heaps.

But even through all this, he was no open fighter. He knew he could not handle himself in an open fight. It was the scare tactic, his fast strikes from nowhere and quick escapes that kept him safe, and gave him the upper edge. He could not have been doing so well without it. It helped greatly that the creatures he fought were idiotic, slow, cowardly, and weak. He knew that it would not work on their master.

The demon's attempt would be met with a cackling hoot of laughter even as the blow connected and sent the harlequin off course. It made him stumble in his dance, but he was lithe and well-balanced, and recovered quickly.

While it was true that the harlequin had to come out of the shadows every few seconds, he was part of the shadows at any other time. It was not that he simply blended with them, or that he was invisible. He was applying magics to meld with the shadows, walking their embrace as if stepping into a puddle of water and swimming through the dhadowy abyss. The shadows were his home. They always had been, ever since he was a child, being ridiculed and abused, the shadows were his ally and he embraced them as a lover, friend, and saviour.

Minh was biding time now... Most of the creatures had fled, or died, leaving only Minh and the Demon with a scattered few stragglers who were more or less out of the fight, probablly unless the scales tipped into the Demon's favor. But for now Minh had the upper hand, for now he was safe, for now he was free to bide his time. And so he danced, danced and sang like he had never before. Spun tales and relayed images of glorious conquest to those who would hear him.

Butterfly charms dangled peacefully, untouched by the blood and slaughter, and unharmed in any way. They sought to remind Minh that he was not alone - and that was his greatest advantage, because he would surely have died by now if he was not walking with his matron Godess' wishes.

Someone must be praying pretty hard for me... thought the harlequin mockingly, even if he knew in his mind that none such a thing would happen. Nobody truly cared for him, but that didn't stop him from caring.

[boomdeboom]

[[ Oh god, I'm so sorry this is so delayed ;; A;;
This month was pretty flipping busy, what with homework and the drama and dhsuaifheuwhfewahfuiehfu
OTL

AND SORRY MY ANSWER IS SO LAME AND SHORT AND GOD JUST DSAIOHFIEWHFWHFI. SUFFERING FROM WRITING BLOCK.
FFFFFF;;;;;;]]

As its strike met his flesh, it gave a grin. Stumbling into the shadows after its blow, it began to snicker, now knowing a tactic which could prove priceless. However, it did leave it with a huge weakness. It needed a couple of seconds to pick out the shadowhunter, leaving it very prone to an attack. However, it seemed like this was its only option.

Stepping back into the middle of the street, wrinkling its nose as the stench of decay began to increase, it closed its irises once more, rolling back its shoulders. Again, the creatures felt the confidence in their master, and too grew in confidence and so stepped away, hiding behind the houses, waiting for when their master struck, then they would follow. Although some of them began to back away, letting out sorrowful screeches into the dead of the night, a sound which would prickle the skin of any human.

The song which emitted from the shadowdancer's mouth began to piss the demon off, making it bit its lip, causing a single streak of gold blood to drip down its chin. Trying to block off the annoying tune, it leaned back onto its heels. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate, concentrate. . . .there.

Snapping its eyes open, it ran to a certain piece of shadow, and with quick strikes, it threw its claws into the darkness, slashing back and forth. This time, it was meant to cause injury. Not too deep, but enough so that Minh would begin to lose blood. Then it would be only a matter of time. And it would be easier still if this worked, being able to smell the blood.

Again, although it wasn't needed, the creatures flew by their masters side and also began to scratch at the darkness, some of them going into the shadows themselves, throwing their strikes all around the area. Wanting to gain revenge on their fellow friends, even if it was only a scratch, they wanted to meet the flesh, to have their talons bloodstained with the person whom killed their friends.

[Laughing Man]

<< Delayedness is ultra delayed. I really had no idea how to respond, and kind of gave up for a bit to be honest. But if you're still around, I am going to try and pick it back up.>>

This was it. The creatures clawed at the darkness, idiots

He mused, and danced, but he was hurt. His rythm was breaking as the pain settled in and the battle high dimmed. It was late. He hadn't slept much, and he was still wounded. There was no way he could defeat this thing.

I suppose it was hopeless the whole time.
Though the half elf bitterly. His spirits were slowly draining. His movements dulled. Minh gave the creature distance now, moving away from the creatures and their master as he stared on angrily. There was no chance he could defeat the thing, and he was bleeding lightly from the hit from earlier.

The battle hymn stopped, and silence filled the air. All but whatever noise the demon was making, and the creatures scratching at the darkness. The Harlequin rose his voice, sword gripped in his hand,

"So this is it, I suppose!" As he stepped out of a shadow down the street from the whole troup of creatures and demon,

"I suppose I never really had a chance, but someone had to do something, yes?" His movements were slow, lullingly smooth, as if he was moonlight dancing upon a river's surface,

"If there is no good which stands to confront evil, then there is no evil. There is merely action. Slaughter and death are simple terms attached to actions. But good and evil exist only due to the existence of the other."

The young Half Elfs arms dangled a moment as he swayed, that gleaming sword shining off the moonlight as his tattoos glowed iridescently,

"It's the truth, you know. We both do." He expected the creatures to move, and if so, would merely retreat further but keep within distance to continue. His voice was almost sullen - as if defeat radiated from his very being. But it was apparent he wasn't going down just yet and would run if he had to,

"What is chaos if there is no order to defy? What is life is death does not claim us all? What is evil if there is no precious pocket of hope and good with which we all cling to? Of course, in my life I have seen much evil. I have also seen so much good. It makes one come to realize that for every evil, there is a balance of good. You are no exception, creature. Out there somewhere is your balance." A sort of smile slid over the harlequin's features as he angled his head down to stare from beneath his brows,

"I thought I was that balance. I thought fate had woven her threads to bring me here and now to put you out of your misery and equalize the spectrum. I fear I was mistaken, and in doing so perhaps sealed my own fate. If I am to die here, then that is what it is to be, yes? We can fight fate, and we can change the threads, but we cannot perceive them. Not wholly, anyway. Sure a man can toss a pebble and guess where it will land, but he cannot predict where that pebble will be a decade from that point.

Just as you cannot predict the outcome of this conflict. Or your own fate. Neither can I. You see we both are toys to a greater power. A greater plan set out that renders you and I insignificant. " The smile spread further as Minh would move, always fluidly, away from danger if possible,

"Does that render you immobile? Does that irk you? That you are an insignificant pawn in the grand scheme, and as such your actions here mean nothing. Affect nothing, and you are simply... Nothing. Not to me, not to Sylvia, not to the Goddess Desna, or the Lords of the human realms. You are nothing, demon! Nothing!" The harlequin's cackling laughter rose through the night as he bent his head back and waited,

"So come at me, then Demon. Let us dance a most futile, a most insignificant, a most useless dance, shall we? And we shall see what becomes of each of us. I am sure to die, but as I said: It all means nothing anyway."

With that, he stood ground, stretched his right leg forward, bent the left under him and held the curved, gleaming blade over his head, false edge toward the ground with the tip pointed toward the Demon like a Scorpion's tail. In his left hand was one of his Starknives, clutched between four fingers and stretched in front of him.

It was a defensive posture. He had resigned that he could not overpower the creature, but he also resigned to seeing how long he could last against it. At least in this way he wouldn't go down running. He wouldn't go down like a coward. And perhaps someone will sing a sad song in his name.

[boomdeboom]

[[ Ah don't worry, everyone has given up at some point on a roleplay xD Yeah sure, I'm game if you are.

Hahaha, I had to practically read through all this be on the same page as you OTL
And sorry if I went all over the place in the reply, I'm quite tired ;; u;; ]]

A few moments after striking the darkness, it knew it made a mistake. There was no scream, no blood, nothing. It had missed, how disappointing. Pulling back its hands from the darkness, it stepped away and began to concentrate once more before a voice broke through. The voice of the half elf.

Spinning around, it was about to pounce before it paused. Holding its hands up, it also stopped the shadow creatures, which were about to practically throw themselves at him, but they obediently stopped, although some clacked their jaws in anticipation of the kill.

Listening to him at first it thought he had thrown in the towel and would merely let them catch him, but alas it did not seem the case. The tone, the way he said his words, it was as if he were still challenging it. Idiot. To think he still stood a chance, even as that wound it had struck earlier was causing blood to drip onto the floor and was causing the creatures behind it to become very hyper as their bright blue spit dripped from the mouths onto the ground.

Once the half elf had spoken his last words and had gotten into that ridiculous stance, it burst into laughter. Placing its hands on its hips as it bent backwards, it laughed into the night sky. The words that he spoke did strike anger in it, but it did not show on the demon. After its fit of laughter it straightened itself as it wiped away at its eyes.

"Goodness, you speak of odd things half elf. You say that we are all helpless when it comes to fate and that I am 'nothing'. True, fate is rather difficult to break out of, but it can be broken. I mean, look at me! I am a demon, a creature who has lived for thousands of years. Not in Slyvia of course, but in hell itself. Death has not claimed me, and never will.

And I am not merely nothing, I am something. Especially to Slyvia, my dear sweet Slyvia. . ." It spoke with a sense of love as it said her name, closing its eyes as it did so.

"I am her companion in this cruel world. I help her break from fate, because with my help she too could become immortal. She may not realize now how much she cares for me, but someday she will. Someday she will love me, and will never need anyone is this world, where people are only out to hurt her. . ." Realizing it was getting off topic from what it truly wanted to say, it quickly backtracked from what it was going to say next. Turning to the side, it began to walk in a circle around Minh. A slow walk, its eyes on him the entire time, to see what he would do next.

"So let me see, if you say there is no point in trying to change fate, why are you here now? Clearly Slyvia's fate is to belong to me where we live co-side each other and yet here you stand, wanting to break from her fate which, according to you, is useless." To emphasize this, it began to shift its form into the body of Slyvia, and within seconds was walking as Slyvia, her long black locks swaying back and forth. It also talked in Slyvia's voice as it spoke once more.

"Quite odd I must say. However, I know that your reply will be something along the lines of 'that's not Slyvia' fate blah blah blah', so then is my fate to die here today? After slaughtering all of these innocent villagers. . ." Bending down, it picked up the teddy from the last child it killed and began to stroke it, its blood stained fingers causing the teddy's fur to become red.

". . .Am I to die by your hands Minh? Am I to receive mercy by dying by your hands? Mmn, quite a cruel fate, don't you think? Or maybe, my fate is to go insane, after I kill you and drink your blood?" Breaking into a grin as it said the last sentence, it dug its claws into the stomach of the teddy and with a rip broke through the fur, causing the stuffing to fall out onto the bloodied ground.

"But do you know what the funniest thing is?" As it spoke, Slyvia's voice began to become distorted. Turning its head the side, Slyvia's blue eyes turning a very bright crimson, her lips curled up into an insanic grin as it said with a laugh.

"That you actually think you can control me like some pathetic dog, to fight you whenever you want. My my, you have gotten things mixed up in that little head of yours~" Covering its eyes as it laughed, it threw down its hand, a sign for the creatures to move. And upon seeing this, they leaped forward, their screeches filling the air.

[Laughing Man]

(( Right then! And don't worry about it. I liked the response!

And no worries, I had to re-read the entire thing myself! ))

A smooth sound, like a fish gliding through water. The spinning, enchanted starknife made its way toward the form of Sylvia - the demon, simultaneously the Half-elf twitched right, dodging the snapping jaws of a demonic whelp. Metal, slicing through air. The breaking of particles as mass moved through them. Metal cuts flesh, then slices tendon, and reaches bone. The sound was like no other. Un-mistakable.

The blade slid away clean from the creature as its rotten blood fell away to spatter the cobble and mingle with the crimson of the innocent.

Minh leapt away, cackling like a mad man at the top of his lungs and shouting, as he went for another kill. The creatures were still rather easy for him, even with his injury. The harlequin's voice shifted, to a raspy, high-pitched tone as he shouted,

"The stage is set, Demon! But these actors have no part in this play!" The statement was followed by rather maniacal laughter as he killed another one.

"Oh, great. Who let him out?"
"I don't know, Mr. Theatrical there just slipped out, I guess."
"I say we see what he does.."
"We should leave now, this isn't our fight."
"We.. We can't leave.. We-"
"Yes, yes, we know! We have to help your friend."
"Why do you think we're here? Calm down."
"We should figure something out soon..."
"This vessel is bleeding, and may expire."

The voices echoed through his mind as the harlequin spun and danced his way through the shadows, blood, and slaughter. The spinning starknife, headed for the demon wasn't meant to hit. The demon would most likely dodge it. Such was to be expected,

"You do not hear well, for all that power, Demon! Fate is sealed! Our fate is here! Center stage! And we are performing gloriously! But you play your part wrong! You squander it and send these pathetic creatures our ways! This is not in the script!" The voice hissed and danced back into the shadows to hide,

"We do not presume to understand Sylvia's fate! Nor our own, or yours! We are simply the actor, playing our part!" The Harlequin would catch the Starknife again, and toss it once more at the Demon. He seemed to want to keep his distance, and finish the creatures off. Clearly he was annoyed by their presence.

After throwing the knife again, he would retreat back a ways and remain hidden, taking out the Fey's healing compound and applying it to his wounds hastily. It would at least hold the bleeding, for now. His body was spinning through the night, pale skin with highlighted tattoos running along his bald head and covering his face. But his harlequin leathers were intact. Their deep oranges and purples both blending him, and standing him out.

Minh would continue to kill off the creatures, weeding their numbers.

"So which one is this guy?"
"Is he the first Minh? Or the third?"
"I thought I was third."
"N-no, I am first... Was. First... "
"Yes, we know you are, weakling."
"Hey... Leave him alone."
"I think this is the fourth."

The high-pitched cackling continued once more until Minh spoke,

"Companion? You are her tormentor, Demon! Read the script! Learn your part in the play! You know nothing of the stage, yet claim knowledge over all! Fool!


How can you dare understand the concept of fate when you don't even understand what part you play in the scene? If we are not the hero, then the scene will end! And we will be the sacrifice which leads to the hero! But our part is executed perfectly!

You, you defile the stage with your inadequacies! You arrogance! And your ignorance!" The harlequin would let the starknife guide itself back around toward the demon, by putting the demon between himself and the blade, the magicks within would seek to return to Minh's hand, and as such would come for the demon. But Minh was in the shadows, waiting.

As the knife came back, he would time the moment at which the demon would dodge, and leap out to strike at the demon with a slash. But the sword was not meant to hit, either. It would be a double feint, and Minh's free hand would grab for the starknife, letting him twist and toss the knife toward the Demon's chest,

"Forgive me, Sylvia!" the voice that came was his old, usual tone. Quickly the expression shifted back. If the plan worked, Minh would retreat, of not... Then he was left horribly exposed to counter-attack.

[boomdeboom]

Calming down its laughter as the first one of its creatures died, it took down its bloodied hand which covered its eyes and let it fall down its side. As both its hand rested, it noticed something that was worrying it slightly. Its energy, its bloodlust, it was beginning to fade away. This was either because the energy from the last body it ate had finally lost its power and it merely needed to feast again or...

To confirm if the second was true, it looked over towards the horizon. Oh bother. As if its fear had been realized, the sky was beginning to brighten. It would still be an hour until the light affected it majorly, but in battle time went past quickly, and it knew that if it were to fight, it would not be able to guarantee its victory. That was a risk it would not be willing to take. It would need to hide, somewhere no one would find it, and wait for darkness to fall once more, where its power would be at its best.

As it thought through this, the demon tuned out somewhat, its face blank. It also didn't hear a thing that Minh had said, mostly because the half elf was beginning to bore it terribly with his speeches of fate, and so the demon did not reply. It didn't move much either, only moving to dodge the reckless throws of the sword. Why were they so reckless? Surely the half elf couldn't think that with luck he would be able to harm it? Or perhaps there was another motive. Nonetheless, it merely dodged them and watch them fly back to their master. What was he planning?

"Goodness, you certainly know how to bore someone, do us a favour and let me kill you, so you can be silenced forever." Snickering a bit as it said this, it still made no move for an attack. This was only a taunt. The demon was smart enough to know not to engage it battle, it was too late for that. It was going to wait for a weakpoint, a quick kill and not a battle that would last for hours and would cause its demise. For now, it was willing to sacrifice its creatures, not that they meant much anyway. It could always summon more when its power was restored. And so, it did not care as the thick blood of the shadows began to fall onto the ground, almost replacing the blood of the villagers.

Seeing the knife began to head for it once more, it merely laughed as it dodged with ease to the side, but only to immediately regret it. As within seconds, it had seen it had been too careless. Too reckless and had not thought about the plan.

Giving a screech and moving its claws to try and capture Minh's neck, only to know already that there was no possible way it would kill him on time. The damage would be dealt. And, as was expected, even though its claws were just about to capture him, the knife had gone through its chest. For a few seconds, Slyvia's disguise would remain before it would give a yell, causing the disguise to disappear only to be remained with the shadowy figure. Except this time its gold blood was flowing from the wound and also down its red eyes and mouth, which was wide open as it tried to catch its breath. It had to get out of here.

Seeing their master hurt badly, the remaining creatures, which was only a handful this time, cried as the made their way towards Minh, determined this time to kill.

Stranger. . .
Minh. . .
Hurt master. . .
Master hurt. . .
No one hurt master. . .
Kill. . .
Blood. . .
Revenge. . .
Help master. . .

These words were repeated by them, their distorted voices showing their clear anger and bloodlust as three hid in the shadows to get the back of the half elf while the remaining came face on. While all this was going on, the demon was on its knees, its hands over the wound, panting as it found that it was getting harder and harder to catch its breath. Plus, to make it all that much worse, Slyvia had awakened.

- - - - -

The sudden weakness in the demon made Slyvia awaken from her sleep. She could tell as soon as she had awakened that something had happened which had caused severe injury. Not because she could tell as the darkness around her had begun to waver, but because she could also feel it. She had stood up and immediately had fallen to her knees as the pain hit. Gasping, not expecting it, she looked down to see that blood was beginning to drip out of her chest. Was this Minh's doing?