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Post by ShadesofGrey18 on Nov 1, 2015 23:56:46 GMT -5
"Bruno Buccellati. We can get more acquainted later; it seems they have this under control!" Quickly jumping into the hole, Bruno shut it afterward, heading underground, towards where he'd remembered a city being, taking Madison with him. "I believe they will be fine. Well, at least as fine as anyone can be given what's..."
A sort of prickling seemed to poke the back of the raven-haired man's skull. A strange energy... a familiar one. "...Come with me."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 2, 2015 0:07:50 GMT -5
Patrick nodded as Bruno and Madison disappeared. It was better for them this way. He had handled the generals and Jack before. He could do it again and OH CRAP WHAT WAS CHOLERIC DOING?!
Jack chuckled typically at Ace's rant, waving his cane at her in a teasing manner.
"Say what you want, believe what you will,
But you were a loose cannon, and I can tell you are still.
After all you've done, until and including this here,
What makes you so sure you aren't a demon yet, dear?"
Unseen to all, a fifth Præt'nos was slowly making the road to recovery. His green eyes weakly glowed through the fiery haze, trying to make out the confusing details laid out before him. W... What?
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 2, 2015 13:18:35 GMT -5
Ace clashed a staff against Jack's cane as if to block an attack he technically hadn't even thrown at her. "I know I'm not a demon and never will be a demon because Patrick believes it! I know I don't look like myself! I know I'm not acting like myself! It's just this fog making me go all loopy or whatever! When it lifts, I'll be my normal self again! Or at least the normal self that you turned me into!"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 3, 2015 17:01:48 GMT -5
"Ace, my dear, I don't know what you mean.
If this is about our relationship, you must come clean."
Jack hooked Ace's staff with the handle of his cane, yanking it out of his face so he could lean in closer.
"I didn't ask for your submission.
You came to me of your own volition.
All I contributed was my typical wooing.
Your falling for me was your own undoing."
He smirked at the mage in Ace's arms, even if the latter's focus was on something else entirely.
"Heheh... And while we're on the subject, I must admit,
I wouldn't have expected you to end up with this bumbling half-wit!"
"WATCH IT!!!" Patrick hadn't even heard Jack's remark, distracted by the Præt'nos generals as they circled around the three. At the mage's cry, all at once, they threw everything they could at Patrick, Ace and Jack. Choleric rained down fire. Melancholic rose spikes from the earth. Sanguine stirred up a mighty gust of wind. Phlegmatic, rather than utilizing his personal element, commended the horde of shadows with some secondary help from the other generals.
The darkness had only begun to consume the trio when everything came to a sudden halt.
And they came to a halt at Jack's command.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 3, 2015 18:08:35 GMT -5
Ace snarled, struggling to maintain her furious composure and com up with a rebuttal. But Jack had left her properly stymied, not just because he was right, and it absolutely pained her to admit that fact alone... but because he was so overwhelmingly calm, cool and collected... his honeyed rhymes lulling her into a state of befuddlement, his silver eyes chilling her to her core.
Darn it, why did this guy have to be so mesmerizing?!
Of course, his next comment in regards to Patrick got her to snap out of it and come to her lover's defense. "You... You shut up... Patrick is-"
Before she could truly plead his case, however, the Præt'nos attacked. Ace yelped in shock and hastily slammed her foot down on the rising earth, disintegrating it almost immediately. She would've taken further action if Jack had not stepped in.
And when he did, Ace could only stop and stare.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 3, 2015 18:43:50 GMT -5
With a choked yelp, Patrick did his part by lifting a hand and commanding the wind to harmlessly part around them. But as he maintained this spell, his attention shifted to Jack, and he was well and truly terrified by the sight.
Even the generals were equally shocked by Jack's intervention, and try as they might've, they could not force their elements in far enough to touch any of the three interlopers. Ace eroding Melancholic's earth, Patrick redirecting Sanguine's wind, Jack deflecting Choleric's fire... with one hand...
With his other hand, Jack had taken hold of the shadows that surrounded them, effectively freezing them in place.
"W...? What is this?!"
"Oh... Oh dear..."
"Insubordinate creature! Who are you to seize OUR shadows?!"
"And... how?"
"You... Y-Yeah, how?!" Patrick shouted, already on the verge of panic. "Y-Y-You couldn't do that before!!"
After extinguishing the flames he had originally ignited, Jack brought his hand down, the shadows swirling around it like black mist at his command. He chuckled with amusement as he experimentally controlled the darkness, letting it dance and weave around his host's body.
"Yes, I must admit I'm surprised as well.
My time spent in the demon's mind was but a quick spell.
But it seems that's all I needed to copy his powers."
He smirked at the four Præt'nos as he pulled more shadows his way, letting them cover him entirely. Patrick pulled closer to Ace, cowering at the sight. The generals were baffled and, some to a greater extent than others, even a bit concerned. All any of them could do was watch as the shadows consumed Evan's form...
...congregating and reshaping into the form a trilby-wearing, Sagittarius-eared, silver-eyed Præt'nos.
"Looks to me that these shadows aren't yours, but OURS."
And trapped in his own mind, as he watched his body take the shape of his sworn enemy, Evan could only think of one thing...
HOLY FREAKING HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 3, 2015 19:14:22 GMT -5
"Oh jeez. Oh crap. Oh jeez! Oh crap! OH JEEZ! OH CRAP!!"
Ace quickly flew off the handle in blind panic. She couldn't handle this new development. Not now. Not while she was still just as much of a threat to herself and others as Jack was. Thus, without thinking and with Patrick still in her arms, Ace turned and started flying away.
She had to get away from this psycho. NOW.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 3, 2015 19:36:19 GMT -5
"WHA-! AAAAAAAAACE!" Patrick yelped as he was whisked away, not sure whether to be relieved that they were escaping from Jack or frustrated that they were abandoning Evan.
It didn't seem to matter either way, as almost immediately, Jack glided after them and slammed the couple down on the ground with a massive, clawed shadow hand. He smiled at them with a fanged grin, leaning in dangerously close.
"Aw, leaving so soon? I haven't even begun!
You wouldn't want to miss out on all of the fun!"
"Gentlemen..." Melancholic murmured to his cohorts. "I suggest we retreat for the time being. As of yet, we have no idea what sort of threat this new development will pose."
"I agree," Phlegmatic replied. "With our powers and then some, this enemy is not one we ought to attack head-on without a strategy."
"Rgh... Fine then," Choleric snarled. "At least maybe he'll take out the mage and the fallen."
"And if not..." Sanguine added smugly. "...there's always a chance that we can turn this around in our favor."
With the generals in mutual agreement, they disappeared into the shadows, leaving their adversaries to deal with each other. The only remaining Præt'nos was Toby, who was staring with wide green eyes as Jack attacked his friends in his bizarre new shadow form. "Oh jeez... Oh crap..."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 3, 2015 19:41:10 GMT -5
"GAH!" Ace protectively clung to Patrick with one arm and, pinned beneath Jack's shadow hand, freed her other arm and pointed a staff at him. "JACK! I SWEAR, YOU HAD BETTER LET US GO OR I WILL...! I'll...! I'll..."
Well, that was the problem. What could she do to Jack that wouldn't put Evan at risk? What could she do to Jack that wouldn't cause her to go crazy again? What could she do to Jack AT ALL?
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 3, 2015 20:09:26 GMT -5
"You'll... what, my dear? Do whatever you want.
I think we both have some new powers to flaunt."
With his other hand, Jack brushed his long, ethereal fingers through Ace's hair and along her cheek.
"I'm excited to see what these shadows can do...
And to see more of the demon in you."
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Patrick screamed, unleashing a mighty burst of light upon Jack. The demon roared in pain, flying off of Patrick and Ace as his shadows retreated and reverted him to Evan's human form.
As soon as he was down and the light had dissipated, Toby suddenly leaped at Jack, pinning him to the ground just as Jack had to Patrick and Ace. "You... What... What ARE you?!"
Jack gave Toby a little grin, not even bothering to grace him with an answer before unleashing his own shadows upon the green-eyed Præt'nos.
While the two demons fought with each other, Patrick sat Ace up, grabbed her by the shoulders and anxiously said, "Ace, you gotta get outta here! I can handle Jack!"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 3, 2015 20:18:03 GMT -5
"I AM NOT A DEMON!!!" As soon as Jack was off of her, Ace was more than ready to lay waste onto him for even insinuating such a thing... but Patrick stopped her. And his next request quickly snapped her out of what surely would've been another berserker rage.
"W-What?! Patrick, I can't just leave you to deal with this... this MONSTER! I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL KILL THAT STUPID LITTLE...! I'll... I'll... Oh God..."
Ace watched Jack and Toby's brawl out of the corner of her solid black eyes, trying and failing to hide the tears building up in them. "I... I can't... kill Jack... I can't kill him. I'd just kill Evan. I-I can't... I don't want that to... B-But I can't just let you fight him alone! There's gotta be something I can...!"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 3, 2015 20:24:49 GMT -5
"No. Listen to me," Patrick insisted, choking back sobs. "I've already defeated Jack once. I can do it again. I just don't want anything to happen to you. Not only am I scared of you losing control again, even leaving out the possibility of hurting Evan, but I'm not gonna let him torture you anymore! I can't stand seeing you angry like that! So..."
With his hands still firmly gripping Ace's shoulders, he charged up purple conjuration energy, preparing to cast a teleportation spell.
"I'M REALLY SORRY I'LL BE OKAY THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD I'M SORRY I LOVE YOU!"
After shouting that in one breath, Patrick cast the spell and returned Ace to the apartment.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Nov 3, 2015 20:30:46 GMT -5
"What?! NO!" Ace protested and squirmed about in Patrick's grip, trying her best to resist as he teleported her away. "YOU CAN'T...! STOP! PATRIIIIIICK!!"
But no such luck. Before she knew it, Ace was back in the apartment. Patrick and Jack were out of her reach. Her beloved's fate was out of her hands.
"No..."
.........
And only seconds after her arrival, Ace was already gone.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Nov 3, 2015 20:47:28 GMT -5
Patrick dropped his hands, took a deep breath and stared at the vacant spot where Ace had once sat. It was for the best. He only wanted to keep her safe.
"GYAH...!"
He shot up and whirled around just as Jack delivered a mighty uppercut to Toby, launching himself high into the air in the process. Jack stared down at Patrick, addressing him...
"So, you've sent Ace away. What a shame.
Without her to mix it up, it's just more of the same.
So I'll leave you for now and have fun elsewhere."
Jack hovered down to Patrick's level, getting right up in his face with his trademark smug grin.
"But feel free to join me if you dare."
And then, before Patrick could even begin to think up a rebuttal, Jack took to the air and flew away.
"HEY!" Patrick chased after him for two seconds, quickly giving up and slowing to a halt. He gazed ahead forlornly as the image of his best friend vanished into the night.
Toby silently glided over to him, casting him a sad downward glance. "I'm sorry, Patrick. He was too strong."
"S'okay, Toby..." Patrick mumbled.
"Who... What was that?"
"That was Jack. He's Ace's ex-boyfriend. He's a demon... and yeah... he's possessing Evan."
"Oh..." Toby's ears drooped. "I wish I knew how to help, but... I'm kinda stuck here."
"I understand." In an uncharacteristic move, Patrick bucked up and started marching after Jack. "You do whatcha gotta do, man. Jack's my problem."
"Oh... Okay... Just... be careful!" Toby anxiously insisted before retreating back into the cemetery.
Patrick nodded to his friend, then scowled ahead and said, "Van?"
Y-Yes?
"Mind casting a tracking spell for me?"
Can do, Patrick.
Aw, yeah. Demon hunting again, Ray chuckled darkly.
Patrick nodded again. "Time for Round 4."
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