Midnight Blues (OPEN)

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Gotcha!" Taking note of how severing them from their shadows left them temporarily weakened, Paul did his best to repeat his actions with each demon he combated. He dodged swipes and strikes. He kicked and slashed back. All the while, though he quickly figured out that he couldn't kill them, he at least managed to block any attempts at attacking Evan.

One Præt'nos in particular quickly took it upon itself to deal with Paul personally, lashing out at him and locking the two in a one-on-one melee. Paul hastily tried to dispose of the demon, but it seemed to have caught on to his speed and skill, as it began to out-maneuver him by means of its fluid shadow state. It threw a hand at Paul, claws erect, but he simply caught it and locked hands with it, following suit with the demon's other hand.

"You're an interesting one," the Præt'nos hissed in a harsh, chilling voice. "Never met a creature quite like you before. There's not many who can stand up to one of us without weapons or powers. Tell me, just what ARE you?"

Clearly, Paul was in no mood to take this monster's guff, releasing a hand and slicing his claws through its neck too quickly for it to react.

Evan silently cursed his misfortune. If he had gotten the key out a moment sooner while Swift and Paul were distracting the Præt'nos, he could've ended this nonsense then and there. For now, he was left to haphazardly swing his fists at them in the hopes of keeping them away from his neck.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Likewise, Swift was slashing at Præt'nos left and right, her yoki-charged strikes tearing them apart and leaving them scattered for longer periods of time, though not quite enough. She knew that she, Evan and Paul had little to no chance of escape at this rate, as outnumbered and outclassed as they were. She knew what had to be done to get these demons off their back, but Evan was clearly waiting for the right opportunity.

While Paul was distracted, Swift caught sight of one Præt'nos getting too close to Evan for comfort. Rightfully ticked, Swift leaped at the monster and raked her claws clean through it in a particularly powerful series of strikes, rendering it to little more than black mist. Then she whipped back around to make sure no other Præt'nos came near. "Do it now! Quick!!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Evan took Swift's orders and ran with them, crouching down, pulling the Paramount Key out of the neck of his shirt and promptly inserting it into an unseen keyhole in his chest. He turned it, it clicked into place, and then he removed it. Just like that, the weary young man was jolted by a much-needed boost of energy. His strength, senses and alertness increased to their zenith. With a bright gleam, an aura like golden fire surrounded Evan's form, lighting up the surrounding area in its glow.

This phenomenon alone caused serious visible pain to the Præt'nos. The one closest to Evan was thrown off balance completely, leaving it wide open for Evan to swing a fist at it with one hand, then drive the key into its chest. A quick turn and click, though noticeably in a different pattern, and suddenly the Præt'nos was frozen in place, a statue confined to a state of petrified shock.

"Whoa." That pretty much summed up Paul's reaction as he watched Evan dart about with peak human speed, strike down the Præt'nos with peak human strength, and finally lock each one in place with that odd key of his.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Swift kept at it, holding any advancing Præt'nos off until Evan had a chance to lock them all down. Finally, when it seemed that the job was done, she took a deep breath and scowled at one of the petrified demons. "Dang... These guys always choose the most inopportune time to strike, huh?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Tell me about it," Evan grumbled as he hung his key back around his neck. Evan as his aura faded, he still seemed much more awake than before.

"Ee-yeah, uh..." Paul awkwardly swayed in place, looking around at the demon statues surrounding them. "Not that I'm not happy to help you guys, but uh... mind explaining what just happened here?"

"Oh." Evan nodded and politely complied. "These guys here? They're called Præt'nos. Think of them as inter -dimensional shadow demons. They're after this." He once again held his key up, deciding that after seeing it in action, there was no point in keeping the truth from Paul. "The Paramount Key. It can lock or unlock anything, and I'm just one in a long line of keymasters who have protected it."

"Wow."

"Yeah, it's been a long and tedious battle, one with no foreseeable end. As you just saw, this is pretty much the only way we can ward these guys off. There's no clear-cut way to get rid of them entirely." Evan smiled and offered Paul a hand. "Though I must say, for your first encounter with them, you fought really well. It's always nice to have plenty of helping hands by my side. So... thanks."

"Of course." Paul returned the smile and handshake. "You two aren't half bad yourselves."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Arigatō," Swift cheerfully replied. "Now, uh... What do you boys say we get outta here before either more show up or these guys wake up?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"You read my mind," Evan agreed, being the first to begin the trek through the woods and back to the city.

Paul took a deep breath and stretched. "Well... So far this has been interesting. I think I could go a while without being attacked but I still hope tomorrow's just as invigorating."

Unbeknownst to the three, with his scent and aura blending in with his minions, another Præt'nos was watching them. And not just any Præt'nos. Phlegmatic, one of the four generals. He did not move from his hiding place amongst the shadows. He simply watched the trio leave in peace.

So... he pondered to himself. It seems the Keymaster has a new ally. And this man... is he even a man? I've never seen anything quite like him, and that's saying something.

Slowly, he slipped into the darkness and vanished. I must inform the others. I'm sure they'll be quite interested in this "Paul."