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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 22, 2016 13:44:41 GMT -5
Andromeda was knocked against the wall when the Green-Eyed Præt'nos broke free, immediately flopping onto her side and staring up at the goings-on with fear.
"Aw, crap baskets." Swift leaped away, dodging the brunt of the shadow attacks and taking a stance behind Evan. Ace swooped in the cover Patrick while he was down. Aether was swept aside, scrambling under the couch for her own safety.
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Post by DMis on Feb 22, 2016 13:56:04 GMT -5
Chrys nodded to Toby. "I'm right behind you, Toby," she offered as she dug in her heels to avoid being thrown back by the waves.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 22, 2016 14:51:47 GMT -5
Toby snarled and continued to throw shadow blade after shadow blade at Enlightenment, darkness swirling around him like storm clouds. Enlightenment calmly dodged each attack, swerving aside or bouncing the shadows back at Toby. Soon, the room was thick with black mist, so much so that one could only barely make out the two shadowy figures dueling each other.
Finally, with a furious shout, Toby gathered the darkness into a single concussive blast, one too massive for Enlightenment to avoid and powerful enough to finally throw her back. As the darkness scattered, Toby lunged at her, pinning her against the wall with one hand and reeling his other hand back to deliver an all-powerful punch.
And then he stopped. For an awkwardly long time, Toby just stood there with Enlightenment in his grip, fist balled but never connecting, his ragged growls slowly turning to mere pants. Enlightenment looked completely undeterred, smiling at Toby with calm pleasure while he simply glared at her in annoyance.
"There. Are you happy now?"
"Very much so." Enlightenment gently pushed his arm away, freeing herself from his grasp. "If you vould allow me..."
She circled around Toby, smoothly and silently as a ghost, tenderly feeling his shadowy arm. "Hmm... Standard proportions... Perhaps a bit flimsy..."
Toby snarled and yanked his arm free.
Gliding behind him, she trailed her clawed fingers along one of his antenna-like ears. "Relatively ordinary, all things considered... Gemini, if I'm not mistaken."
Toby angrily swatted her hand away.
She then swerved back around and stared deep into his face. "But zhose eyes... So strange... So unique... So...... vell, green!" Enlightenment giggled a little, clearly enjoying Toby's discomfort. "You really are something special, Toby Grayson. You really and truly are."
"Sh-Shut up..." Toby muttered, shakily inching away from her.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 22, 2016 14:59:27 GMT -5
"HEY!" Swift barked, fearlessly stomping over to the two shadow demons and scowling up at the white-eyed one. "You got the kid to change for ya! You got whatcha wanted! I hope you're proud of yourself! NOW BEAT IT!"
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Post by DMis on Feb 22, 2016 15:12:53 GMT -5
Chrys made a stab at Enlightenment' s weak spot. "Ithquant mitne soves nomeno cayosin," she uttered as the blade seemed to glow.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 22, 2016 15:44:55 GMT -5
"Whoop! Haha!" Enlightenment slipped away from Chrys before any damage could be dealt, throwing an arm over Toby's shoulder. "No need to fight. You must understand I'm only trying to help Herr Toby."
Toby grimaced as Enlightenment's finger traced his chin, then he angrily flailed his arms and pushed her away. "G-Get off! I don't need your help! I don't need ANY of you freaks' help!!"
"My, my, vith zhat attitude, you'll never come into your own." Enlightenment folded her arms behind her back, giving Toby a teasing smile. "Vhy are you so afraid to embrace vhat you truly are?"
There really was no answer to that. It was pretty obvious why Toby was so afraid of his own powers. Knowing what the Præt'nos were capable of and what they were trying to do was more than enough reason for Toby to hate what he was. What he could potentially become.
He silently glared at Enlightenment, then he sharply turned around, closed his eyes and folded his arms. "'m a monster..."
"Oh, nein! Nein, Toby! You're not a monster!" Enlightenment kindly offered before leaning in and whispering into his ear, "No more so zhan I am."
Practically out of nowhere, Toby shoved Enlightenment away and summoned a massive wall of shadows, his face dangerously livid, daring her to get near him again.
Enlightenment just laughed. "Very vell, I get it. I've seen vhat I vanted to see, told you vhat you needed to know... I'll leave you to it, zhen! But ve'll be keeping a close eye on you, Kumpel." Shadows started to engulf her form, pulling her in. "Bis später!"
By the time the shadows had dissipated, Enlightenment was gone, her laughter echoing for a few beats until all went silent.
Toby took a deep breath and relaxed, the shadows around him settling. That girl... He had a feeling that she was at least being honest with them, but it was painfully obvious that she was nothing but trouble. It was also fair to assume that she would indeed be back, and when that time came, he was going to beat some answers out of her and then send her straight back to the dank hole she crawled out of. Seemed like a fair trade.
After all, that whole ordeal was... wholly unpleasant.
His ears drooped back like a sad dog's as he turned to bashfully look down at the group he now towered over, shame and disgust evident in his big green eyes.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 22, 2016 15:51:19 GMT -5
"Yeah, go suck a donkey dong about it," Swift grumbled as Enlightenment vanished. She looked up at Toby, ears flat and eyes full of sympathy. "Y-You alright there, buddy?"
Aether moved over to inspect Andromeda, the latter of whom was timidly staring at Toby. As Andromeda gently petted her ears for comfort, Aether sighed and stated, "Don't let her bother you, Toby. Her actions and those of her people do not reflect on you."
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Post by DMis on Feb 22, 2016 16:05:40 GMT -5
Ker-shink. And now a sword was buried in the wall.
"Toby," Chrys offered before the suit dissipates, "You are not a monster. You are anything but a monster." She sighed. "And i apologize for the sword...."
She went to touch the one that she had considered a friend. "Toby. Praen'tos or not, you are my friend and I promise to fight along side you."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 22, 2016 16:32:26 GMT -5
Toby backed away from Chrys, too ashamed for her to see him like this. He turned to look at the others gathering around him, each expressing sympathy however they saw fit.
Evan sighed and stepped forward. "Look... Toby..."
Before he could get his thoughts out, Toby blended into the shadows and swooped past everyone, disappearing into his bedroom with a shadow tendril slamming the door shut behind him.
"H-Hey! Toby!" Patrick tried to run after him, only to be stopped by Evan. "W-? B-But you were saying-"
"It's cool, Pat. Just let him be," Evan insisted. "It's uncomfortable enough for him to be in that form without everyone staring at him..."
"Poor guy..." Jen sadly mused. "They're not gonna leave him alone on this, are they?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 22, 2016 16:39:56 GMT -5
"Can't imagine they would..." Ace sighed, placing a hand on Patrick's shoulder.
"Still..." Swift leaned against Evan. "There's already so much crap going on right now. There's only so much we can focus on at once, but I don't wanna leave Toby to deal with these pests by himself."
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Post by DMis on Feb 22, 2016 16:52:32 GMT -5
Chrys quietly walked over to the sword and pulled it out of the wall only for it to revert to it original frozen gunblade form. It was soon dismissed
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 22, 2016 17:59:09 GMT -5
Jen took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. "Well... I guess now we just have to figure out a course of action. Between this and Sburb, we're gonna have a lot on our plate."
"Hurts me to say it, but I think it's clear that I'm needed in the game," Evan sighed. "But even though I'm gonna be dealing with that, I still wanna be here to fight the Præt'nos whenever I can. If push comes to shove, maybe Kendall can work some time magic so I can jump back and forth between both battles."
"That is true. I don't want you to overwork yourself, though..."
"Don't worry about me. I know how to deal with these guys."
"Right..." Jen knew by now than when his wanted to help, there was no dissuading Evan.
"Well, I go where Evan goes," Patrick insisted. "But anytime you need a light spell, you know how to get ahold of me."
"I've made clear that I have little to contribute to this game," Darien spoke up, sitting down next to Jen. "However, it'd be rude of me to not offer my services somewhere, so consider me a member of Toby's army."
"And I'm always here to hold down the fort and be there for whoever needs me," Jen added, patting Darien's shoulder. "But if you're gonna fight, so am I."
Off to the side, Carter murmured to Evan, "I've dealt with these demons for a long time. I can hold my own against 'em. If you want, I can stick around here and keep you posted on this fight."
"Not a bad idea..." Evan replied.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 22, 2016 18:36:18 GMT -5
"Of course I'm with you," Swift insisted, holding onto Evan. "No matter who or what you're fighting."
"Same here," Ace picked up, standing by Patrick. "We've gone this far together. Might as well stick to it."
"That said..." Andromeda and Aether rejoined the group, the latter stating, "We'll be here to help Toby too. Both of our powers, minimal as they may be, are likely more well-suited for this situation."
Andromeda just rubbed her neck, looking away with uncertainty. "Minimal" was right. She was hardly a fighter, and her light powers were extremely draining, as her previous display more than proved.
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Post by DMis on Feb 22, 2016 19:21:57 GMT -5
"Count me on Toby's side. I don't care what he is. He is a great person," Chrys offered to the group. If anything that fight made me seem useless.... I'm used to foes that have some honor and dignity.... she added mentally.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 23, 2016 9:58:39 GMT -5
Jen nodded. "I'm sure he would appreciate that."
"Hate to put so much emphasis on the kid, hate the position he's being forced into..." Darien sighed, gazing at the door to Toby's bedroom, "...but if I'm understanding the implications correctly, he might just be the only thing standing in their way."
Evan averted his gaze and took a deep breath, silently agreeing with Darien's concerns. Then he bucked back up and firmly said, "She... the messenger girl... She told us that the Præt'nos were gonna strike somewhere at sometime today. It might be in our best interests to split up and search the island for any early warning signs."
"Yeah, good thinking..." Jen murmured. "Should we... get him in on it?"
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