Raid #117

[Deleted]

Keyblade Graveyard has been attacked by Darkness.

Dark Being | Attacking:

Hadria [Leader]

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The Light has ten days to get a team together to counter this attack or the Dark will have a claim on the world! Dark, feel free to post here. Another post will be added when the Light gets a Raid Group, or if the Dark has won the world! Keep an eye out!

[Deleted]

A Light Group of Two has Countered the Attack!

Light Group | Defending:

Steiner [Leader]
Zack Fair

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Posting Order: Hadria, Zack Fair, then Steiner

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If no winner has been decided by September 1st, then a staff member will review and decide the winner!

Remember the Rules!! - [RULES HERE]

Let the Battle Begin!!

[Hadria]

It was a month or so after the battle at Hollow Bastion, the Heartless known as Hadria having fought a difficult fight that day but had succeeded none the less. It was in this battle that she had begun to question her purpose, her bloodlust, and the many other mysteries that surrounded her very existence. She was curious as to why she had such a craving for death and destruction, a thirst that was quite frankly pointless. Indeed, while it was a laughable prospect, if she had ever gotten strong enough to wipe out all life, beast and man alike, what use would it make? It was rather hypocritical actually, if one had such a passion for carnage than “destroying the universe” would simply leave them with nothing else to do once it was done. Despite this logic, the savage instinct that was instilled within her from birth always disagreed and caused her to rampage.

What about her purpose then? As far as she could tell from what she had read and learned from observation, it seemed her kin collected hearts and nothing else. Hadria on the other hand had no desire to do so and never even concerned herself with it. Whenever her instinct took over, she simply killed without reason and indiscriminately. Was that also how the other Heartless operated? Were they unaware of the fact they were collecting hearts and merely giving into instinct? Furthermore, did they get the same “pleasure” that Hadria did when committing such heinous acts?

And that was another perplexing mystery… her very existence. How could creatures with no heart or soul come into existence? Wasn’t that an essential part of any creature? To those pink-skins it certainly seemed so, always going on about how important their heart was and what it did for them. Indeed, they always enjoyed making some speech or another about the heart. Their heart allowed them to be kind, compassionate, and most importantly strong enough to fight off the “Darkness”. The Heartless in question couldn’t help but scoff at the notion though. Kind? So is attacking someone who is merely a victim of circumstance “kind”? Compassionate? Was a total lack of sympathy for a creature with no heart qualified as compassion? And strength? That was easily the most laughable, Hadria having slain every single foe thus far that had believed their heart gave them strength. Although laughable, it all still confused her and kept her mind in a constant state of questioning and theorizing. These questions kept her traveling from world to world, hoping that her journey would eventually lead her to the answers she wanted.

“I really hope this next stop is a bit more enlightening than the last,” she spoke softly to herself as she emerged from a Corridor of Darkness. Upon stepping out of the portal of darkness, an aura followed the Heartless that was as dark as it was frightening. Indeed, the darkness that exuded off her being was staggering, so much negative energy that if any animals were nearby on this desolate planet they’d have scurried away rather quickly. It was an unnerving aura to say the least, one that would shock and possibly frighten even the strongest of fighters while Hadria left it unchecked. Yes at the moment she cared little about hiding her presence, she was on a desert like planet and now surrounded by… keys? Her curiosity piqued, the Heartless walked over to them, examining them closely.

“So are these those keyblades I’ve heard about? They don’t appear to be anything more than terribly crafted hunks of metal,” she commented, her right hand reaching out. Her hand gripped the handle of the keyblade, a searing sensation being felt on her skin upon contact. She quickly pulled back her hand, noting the rather severe burn that it had left for the mere second she had grabbed it for. A smirk curved against her lips as she laughed lightly.

“I might be a masochist but I don’t think even I’d want to get hit by one of those,” she joked, something not particularly common for the Heartless but few of the things she did were. Regardless, she then begun to ready another Corridor of Darkness, ready to leave this planet behind as it seemed as if she little to learn from it but stopped herself short as she spotted something off in the distance. It was hard to kiss, the haze from the dry air making the figures almost indistinguishable but if she had to make a guess… they were human. She fell to one knee, not sure whether it was a mirage or reality but none the less being plagued by that bloodlust inside her. Already it began to scream at her to approach the figures and to spill their blood. It pleaded to allow her control to rampage and crush those two if they were indeed a random pair of humans. If they were warriors it was even better, than the satisfaction of destroying their pride when she defeated them two versus one would be the cherry on top. Despite the urges though, Hadria resisted at the moment knowing that while she couldn’t control it for long, she could hold back long enough to see if these two knew anything she wanted to know.

[dameon]

Zack had spent more time in graveyards than he'd ever wanted. First his own, now this. He sat on one of the few stones that weren't full of embedded, and often rusty, keyblades. He still didn't quite get the concept of the keyblade weapon style. They differed so much at times he didn't see the logic in classifying them as the same weapon. Some were long, heavy and blunt, others were short, light and sharp. Some were thin, others were round, some were menacing, with various spikes and points, others were...well...a candy cane.

Really, some of them weren't even 'blades', and calling them all 'keys' was a stretch at best. Who would use a crab, or a...what...was that one made of little mushroom people? Either way, he'd hate to see the lock some of these keys fit into. Although he had to admit...he did like the little key chains. Especially that one, a metallic chocobo.

Nah, he'd stick with his sword. The Bustersword had seen more than it's share of battles and it'd never let him down before. Any time he'd faltered or failed, it had been due to his own actions, not the blade's, and that was a lesson he'd taken to heart. It's a poor swordsman who blames his weapon. As he sat on the boulder, glancing at the various rusted keyblades that sprouted up like so many weeds, he ran a whetstone across the edge of the blade, prepping it for what was to come. He didn't know this 'Steiner', but he did understand that the Heartless, minions of darkness, had plans to attack various points of both military, strategical and moral importance around the worlds.

The Keyblade Graveyard, as he understood it, was a monument to a monstrous war that had happened at some point in the past. Every other blade represented a fallen soldier (Not exactly -every- blade, since Zack learned that some folks liked to swing two of the unusual weapons at once) and that this was the closest thing to a memorial to the fallen that existed from that time. The Keyblades, even now, held some 'spark' that made them such a sought after weapon, and if this place were to fall, then untold energies, weapons and tools would become lost to the people that opposed the Heartless and their ilk.

As the whetstone scrapped swiftly across the blade, Zack caught movement off in the distance. It looked like a girl, with matted red hair and an outfit that would make even Genesis shake his head at the sight. He sighed, and looked around for the stuffy old knight who had asked him to come to this graveyard in the first place. He was probably off scouting, or saluting, or something. Rising up from his seat on the stone, Zack rested the Bustersword's flat against his shoulder, and shielded his eyes from the setting sun as he watched the newcomer.

She was heading towards him now, and he was sure Steiner wasn't too far off, just probably off behind some pile of broken keys on patrol. As the woman continued to make her way over, Zack met her mid way, and held his grip on the blade, but more in a manner of preparation for an attack from some sneaky heartless or what have you rather than to intimidate the poor girl. He didn't think such a desolate place would have natives...or tourists, but apparently he was wrong. "You might be in the wrong place at the wrong time, lady. We got word of some unsavory characters that felt like making a mess of the graves here."

The closer he stood to the red headed girl, the more the hair on his arms and back of his neck began to stand up. What was she doing in this place anyhow? Was she the one they were supposed to protect the place from? He'd heard about people getting possessed by Darkness, and had it even happen to him once before, but she didn't SEEM possessed, not like he had been. If she was just some innocent bystander being used as a tool..well..he hoped he didn't have to do much more than knock her out. "You should go."

[jordandahedgy]

A graveyard of keys. A barren desert didn't seem to bethe most welcoming of place's but that didn't matter. The keyblades needed to be protected. The head stones of multiple souls lay around the place. Every key had an owner and if the key was here the owner was dead.

This was a place of great importance and the light would protect it. The head of the queens knights of pluto Sir. Steiner walked calmly though the keys. He was on the look out for a villan that was in the area.

Stiener sighed. That Zack fellow hadn't been his first chose and wasn't sure if he was trustible yet. Though his lack of manners urked the knight. As Steiner turned round and headed back to Zack, he saw the man talking to a girl. The girl looked strange and imideatly Stiener realised, he didn't trust her at all. It didn't make sense to him that a random woman would be here when only some heartless and Zack were ment to here with him.

"You should go."

Stiener walked up behind Zack. "Yes Zack is right. No-one should be here." the knight said. It wasn't delicate and could be interprited multipule ways. The woman would show her true intentions if spoken to in a certain way and he hoped thiat would do the job.

[Hadria]

As the two had begun to meet each other halfway, Hadria’s eyes slowly made out the figure ahead of her. It looked to be a human with spiky black hair and a giant sword that looked as if it would be rather bothersome. His attire looked similar to a uniform, a dark navy blue or perhaps even black with combat boots as well. The pants looked a little baggy but otherwise his attire looked rather easy to move in and his physique seemed to be one of an agile fighter, even with that giant blade. The other man that was following behind looked rather odd, his armor shining brightly against the sun’s rays threatening to blind anyone that looked at. His physique on the other hand seemed bulkier, hell perhaps even a bit chubbier than most although it could just be the armor. Whatever the case was, that very armor wasn’t going to allow any agile movement and the Heartless was rather certain she could outmaneuver that man if necessary… but would it be? After all, if these two knew anything that she wanted to know, she would certainly try much harder to hold back her bloodlust and get her questions answered, perhaps even spare their lives. On the other hand, if they were ignorant to any of the questions Hadria would ask, then a two on one fight would satisfy her urge to kill for quite some time. Her sword was unsheathed and gripped in her right hand as it was placed atop her shoulders, a near mirror image of the way Zack held his own. Regardless, as the two got closer and closer, it seemed far more likely that they would be a bunch of ignorant buffoons.

‘They certainly don’t look smart,’ she thought, standing up as the black haired swordsman reached her first. His lips parted as he spoke words of warning, advising her to leave this place since they were investigating it for someone causing trouble, Steiner reaffirming said warning soon after. A small and quite sigh left her lips, amazed by how quickly these fighters assembled wherever she went.

‘Honestly I thought they were the ones riding Gummi Ships and I was the one teleporting everywhere,’ she thought once more her eyes staring dully at the black haired man. After a short moment of a stare-off, the Heartless’ lips curved into a light smile, her eyes softening up as well. A small giggle escaped her lips as she waved her left hand about her face as a form of expression. Perhaps it was a natural instinct when she donned this persona but the unnerving feeling she gave out also began to diminish.

“Well you needn’t worry; I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. Although, if you don’t mind my asking, who are these unsavory characters you speak of? Are they those black creatures I’ve been seeing on my travels from world to world? As far as I can tell I don’t see any here at the moment so perhaps it was a false alarm? Not sure who you get these “reports” from but this place seems pretty devoid of life aside from the three of us,” she spieled, her “human” persona being put to work. Hopefully, it would put the two at ease and perhaps make them a little more forthcoming with any useful information. She would then let her right hand fall to her waist, the blade a mere inch from the ground as she turned to the right and took a few steps closer to the numerous keyblades. Her left hand would then reach for the back of her neck, rubbing it lightly keeping the two in her peripheral vision before speaking once more.

“If it is those creatures I’ve got a bone to pick with them and I’m more than willing to fight them should they show themselves… assuming your story’s true anyway. For all I know you’re a couple of bandits with a good cover story to make me drop my guard… wouldn’t be that surprising on a desolate planet like this,” she noted, her eyes glancing over to the two before turning around to face them once more and take another step back to keep the roughly 8 feet of distance between each other. After all, it was possible they wouldn’t believe her story, no matter how unsuspicious it was and she would need to act fast were that the case. Furthermore, distancing herself from strangers wasn’t an odd thing to do in the first place so surely it wouldn’t raise any red flags.

‘Depending on how you two answer, you may get to live for a moment longer,’ she thought, her urge for death under control but for only so long.

[dameon]

The girl didn't seem to take too much stock in Zack's words, and he could feel his posture reflecting his annoyance at the whole 'civilian' attitude he was getting. He had hoped that once he'd removed himself from the whole military oppression image people wouldn't be so prone to giving him a hard time, but hey, that's human nature. Even when Steiner reinforced Zack's initial suggestion, the girl seemed to just become more intent on opposing the two swordsmen and their plan. Sheesh. Can't really use her as a meat shield, and even if she was skilled, he'd take issue with a total stranger trying to fight against the Heartless alongside of him.

“Well you needn’t worry; I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. Although, if you don’t mind my asking, who are these unsavory characters you speak of? Are they those black creatures I’ve been seeing on my travels from world to world? As far as I can tell I don’t see any here at the moment so perhaps it was a false alarm? Not sure who you get these “reports” from but this place seems pretty devoid of life aside from the three of us,”

And that seemed to be exactly what she was intent on doing. Zack sighed and adjusted his grip on his sword. But something about the way she was talking was giving Zack a bit of an itch. Spending a great many years in SOLDIER and around Shinra, he had something of a sixth sense about information fishing, and a lot of this girl's conversation and posture was full of tells. Once again, thoughts of people possessed by Heartless and Darkness stood in the back of his mind, and one thing was certain, she was right. She was the only other living thing near this graveyard.

“If it is those creatures I’ve got a bone to pick with them and I’m more than willing to fight them should they show themselves… assuming your story’s true anyway. For all I know you’re a couple of bandits with a good cover story to make me drop my guard… wouldn’t be that surprising on a desolate planet like this,”

She sure went from being certain that they were the only living things around to wanting to pick a fight, especially alongside a couple of potential bandits? If she really thought there was a chance they were criminals, would she have made herself so easy to spot and approach? As she kept her distance from himself and his companion, he noticed how she didn't get too close to the keyblades. His memory slipped back and...had she recoiled from a keyblade earlier? He'd only seem it from far away, and in his peripherals..but...

Now she kept her distance, both from them, and from the keyblades. Combining that with her 'information fishing' and her incessant need to stay nearby to seek revenge on the Heartless that, moments before, she doubted were anywhere near gave the seasoned SOLDIER cause to be weary. But rather than make the first move, he instead adjusted his hold on his blade in a very subtle way, and spoke again.

"Again. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're not prepared to work with you, we know nothing about you and we don't need to be distracted."

[jordandahedgy]

Stiener stepped back as the woman spoke and walked around a little. He really didn't care what she had to say. He had already seen the conflict in her stories. It occurred to Stiener that at first she was trying to sound weak and use her feminine wiles. unfortunatly she broke the story by turning full circle and going for a strong revenge driven person.

"Again. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're not prepared to work with you, we know nothing about you and we don't need to be distracted." Zack said again trying to get rid of her.

Steiner looked at the woman. she was definatly avoiding the keyblades. something only a heartless would do. He though about his choice then drew his sword. "I think you should listen to Zack. This is not a place for you. Stiener said coldly. If it came to it he'd push the woman into the keys. He was sure she was a heartless.

" Zack I don't think shes human." he said calmly. looking over to Zack but keeping the woman in sight too.

[Hadria]

OOC: I actually walked toward the keys guys but I’ll roll with it none the less. At any rate, I think I’m going to keep up this little game for another post since it’s an interesting change of pace. As I’m sure you two probably went into this expecting to fight already, I won’t drag it out too long. Although with how fast you guys are posting I’m not worried about our fight not developing into a grand event even if it’s postponed for a little while X3!
 
IC: Despite her acting, the soldier in front of the Heartless was more astute than originally anticipated and seemed to be onto her little act. While he didn’t show it visually, his words certainly didn’t sound very trusting and he kept on insisting that she turn away and leave. It was disheartening to hear, the Heartless well aware that information gathered through interrogation was always more effective than torture due to the unreliability of info received using the latter method. Furthermore, it didn’t bode well for these two, death a certainty for them if they didn’t flee like most humans she fought. As it was, the Heartless was ready to attack, ready to give it all for and beat these two down within inches of life but then the knight spoke again, his big mouth giving her an avenue of escape. Indeed, the chubbier of the two was far less careful with his words and gave another angle for the Heartless to use. While it very well could be futile, the Heartless would try her luck again at lying. After all, whether she failed or not, the experience was always welcome and she had more than one method to learn what she wanted.
 
“Not human? Really? What was your first clue there Sherlock? Since you obviously have no tact and don’t know how to hold your tongue or sword, I will admit to the fact I am not human. While my species should matter little to you, I don't tell people what I am to avoid prejudice people like you,” she stated calmly but with a stern voice, her feet then taking her to a keyblade amongst the several surrounding her. It was a bit of a gamble, but if she wanted to convince these two that she wasn’t the Heartless they were searching for, she’d have to take it. Without any hesitance, the Heartless would place her posterior atop a keyblade, using it as a chair as she crossed her legs and let her hands rest on her raised knee. The blade she had was still gripped in her hand, not about to release it and not worry they’d take offense to it. After all, both of them seemed ready to jump her at the slightest movement so it’d only be natural for her to be ready to defend herself. Regardless, her posterior that was now atop the keyblade began to have a searing sensation; a pain that while irritatng was ignorable for a masochist. As it would seem, the keyblade had a much worse effect when applied directly to the skin, a fact that she noted for future reference. It was fortunate though that pain wasn’t unbearable, something easily hidden behind her smile and something the pair of warriors would have to acknowledge. Whether it made them throw away the notion in their mind that she was a Heartless completely or merely veer suspicion, it was a step in the right direction toward building trust. Furthermore, surely the two wouldn’t do something as rude as check a woman’s butt for any injury left by sitting on a keyblade right?
 
“Speciesm is a terrible thing you know, something your kind seems to be rather well known for amongst other things. Regardless, that’s a discussion for another time and I’d much rather learn about those black creatures that have been plaguing the worlds and murdering countless amounts of people. Please, take a seat, I’m pretty sure you’re not bandits at this point so why not be civil and talk for a little while? Not sure why these keys are all here but they make for a decent chair although if you prefer to stand I won’t blame you,” she spieled, her eyes directed toward the SOLIDER, in a way that said she was done speaking with the more vulgar of the pair. While she was done talking to him, she did pay attention to him since he seemed hot-headed and poised to strike unlike his more level-headed companion. Indeed, the other man was far more in control, and seemingly smarter although by how much had yet to be determined. Whatever the case was, the Heartless enjoyed these little games in which she challenged herself to hide her identity as a Heartless to get close to her target. It was always an interesting way to test her abilities of deception and the SOLIDER was a far more worthy opponent than most she had faced in such a way. She pondered how he would respond to her offer for diplomacy, wondering how far his tongue could take him before he relied on that heavy sword of his… or

"Oh where are my manners?I forgot to give you my name, I'm known as Hadria, it's a pleasure to meet you," or until her bloodlust got the better of her.

[dameon]

Zack could feel the muscles in his back tighten and his jaw clench. This girl was either an insurgent, or an unknown element who refused to get out of the way of what was to come. Either way, every inch of his training was telling him to get rid of her. Sword or not, she was still a civilian, (Or enemy, depending on how things played out) and he was reminded of the young girl playing ninja he met in Wutai all those years ago. But this situation was much more out of his control, he had far less tactical information and she wasn't a 7 year old girl fighting with imaginary weapons.

As Steiner stepped up to reinforce Zack's position, he nodded his thanks without taking his eyes off the girl. Steiner may not be the type of swordsman Zack was used to fighting alongside, but he defiantly seemed seasoned, and most swordsmen didn't live as long as Steiner without knowing how to handle themselves. But when Steiner mentioned outloud Zack's silent suspicions, he grimaced. He'd hoped to keep that question silent until he had more information, but Steiner never struck him as the type to hold his tongue, unless speaking to a direct superior. Either way, if Steiner suspected it as much as Zack did, he knew he was on to something, and depending on the woman's response, it would make things go one of two ways.

“Not human? Really? What was your first clue there Sherlock? Since you obviously have no tact and don’t know how to hold your tongue or sword, I will admit to the fact I am not human. While my species should matter little to you, I don't tell people what I am to avoid prejudice people like you,” Well that wasn't what he expected, but it wasn't altogether new to him. Playing the victim was a pretty common strategy that he'd seen going around the Shinra office pool, and that mental connection made him feel even less trusting of this girl. She was starting to sound more like some sort of politician than a fighter. As if fate had been reading Zack's mind, the woman decided to try to delicately perch herself atop the butt end of a keyblade, and she seemed to succeed, to an extent. Now Zack knew why he was disliking this woman more and more as they spoke...she reminded him of someone from Shinra, very much so.

Scarlet.

A woman who used manipulation to get her information that she'd store away to use whenever it suited her, she was intimidating when needed, or nearly passive when it suited her. She'd use her gender to try and twist the situation to her needs, and feign offense when she knew it was more effective than actual intimidation. While physically she was definitely a woman, she was hardly a lady. And this new woman before him suddenly reminded him a bit too much of the former Shinra Weapons developer.

“Speciesm is a terrible thing you know, something your kind seems to be rather well known for amongst other things. Regardless, that’s a discussion for another time and I’d much rather learn about those black creatures that have been plaguing the worlds and murdering countless amounts of people. Please, take a seat, I’m pretty sure you’re not bandits at this point so why not be civil and talk for a little while? Not sure why these keys are all here but they make for a decent chair although if you prefer to stand I won’t blame you,”

Again with the politics, and speaking in a way that tries to disarm the other end of the conversation, while at the same time leaving the speaker to seem more educated with an advanced level of linguistic comprehension. Zack wasn't a scientist, nor was he the president of a major corporation or any of it's subsidiaries, but he wasn't dumb.

"In a perfect world your species wouldn't matter, and I'm sure Steiner and I have both fought beside a lot of people who aren't human, but right now we're on the look out for 'non-humans' and the best way to avoid the cross fire for you would be to leave. So I'll keep standing, and when you get up, the next thing you do should be turn one hundred and eighty degrees, then march." His voice was far less accommodating this time. Zack wasn't sure if she was with them or against them, but he knew one thing, she wasn't being straight with them, and that's an unknown element he wasn't willing to deal with in his inner circle...or...since there was only two of them..his...inner...line.

She had introduced herself, but he wasn't paying attention to that. It was better for him if he didn't call her by her name. He could use it for identification, but using her name would give a sense of familiarity he'd like to avoid in case he had to cut her down. Besides, he had a feeling she wasn't the type above giving a fake name. So after her introduction, instead of giving his own name, he simply replied with "Goodbye."

[jordandahedgy]

Zack nodded to Steiner as he took the attack words wize. but then the woman began to change her tune again. this time she became a mentaly hurt, political woman.

Stiener knew now the woman could not be trusted, even as she sat down on the keys. but it did give him a moments pause. Unfortunatly for her the woman made a remark about the keys being comftable. Anyone who had sat on something as thin as a keyblade handle knew it was hard to balance and made your butt sore. this alone made Stiener itch a little.

As Zack spoke to the woman he mentioned fighting along side non-humans. at that moment Stiener though about the young black mage boy he'd come to care deeply about almost like a son.

Stiener nodded, agreeing to what Zack was saying. He then got into a fighting stance, something told him an armed woman would not going to back down without a fight. Steiner stepped so he was next to Zack. "Zack I don't trust that she isn't harmed by the keys. use them to your advantage as much as you can."the knight said just loud enough for Zack to hear. then he stepped forward and with his free hand grabbed a key, then threw it forward at the heartless in one swift and fast motion.

[Hadria]

Despite her efforts, the Heartless’ attempts at diplomacy were failing miserably. Perhaps it was a lack of experience, a lack of knowledge on her opponent, but the demeanor she typically adopted when fishing for information was not working whatsoever. Normally, the pink-skins she had used this type of speech on before would be a lot more cooperative, guilt typically being a great motivator but not in this case. No this man was far more hardened, a fact she couldn’t help but admire and seemed to have no sympathy for her victim persona. Yes he didn’t show it in his speech but he seemed far sharper than the average monkey and quite perceptive like the eagle that flew above. His friend, on the other hand, only seemed to be coming along for the ride and just agreed with anything he said. Indeed, he was a much bigger idiot, surely someone who was all brawn and no brain and incredibly uninteresting. Regardless, the fact remained that this trip was fruitless, short of the little entertainment in the back and forth with the smarter of the two. She almost considered letting them go even, feeling merciful enough to allow them to walk away with their pride intact (and the rest of their body) yet once again Steiner made another blunder… he was getting ready to move.

It wasn’t much, but the shift in stance certainly meant he was tired of the talking going on and was getting ready to strike. How he would do so the Heartless wasn’t sure but whatever it was, Hadria doubted it would be all that clever. Regardless, this persona she had built still could serve some use and the Heartless would shrug her shoulders before speaking a few choice words.

“That’s a shame, I was beginning to like you, and you’re far more interesting than most people. Oh well, I suppose you have a job to do and I wouldn’t want to interfere with it so I’ll depart,” she spoke, her words a tad softer than earlier. Perhaps it would get the black haired man to drop his guard ever so slightly as she stood up, her body language feigning the intent to leave by curving her body as if to turn. It was during that moment the knight would begin to whisper to Zack, surely something about his suspicions and his plan to attack that Hadria would initiate her own little plan. Without a moment’s hesitation, her mind having already thought of several ways to use the environment to her advantage, Hadria’s blade would slip in between the grips of four keyblades that were lined up rather closely to each other. As this happened, Steiner had already made his step, grabbing a keyblade and throwing it at the Heartless. Unfortunately it was all too easy to dodge and predict, the blade coming horizontally and merely needing a dip to evade, something Hadria often did anyway. The keyblade would harmlessly pass by her head, skimming the hair atop it as she then took advantage of her monstrous strength, ripping the four keyblades out of the ground that she had slipped her blade through. With a snap of the wrist as if slicing an opponent, the keyblades would whip off the blade and come hurtling toward the pair partially blocking their vision with their massive frames. Furthermore, Hadria’s back was to the sun unlike her opponent’s, an annoyance that would probably also help this distraction further serve its purpose.

Indeed for the real attack would come after, the Heartless not really concerned if the keys did any damage. No the damage she wanted to inflict was with her blade and she would do just that as she adopted her signature style of attack, her upper-body parallel to the ground as she made a mad sprint forward toward the knight. Within a mere second the distance between them would be covered, the grip on her blade being under-hand and allowing her to quickly slice at the opening in his armor where Steiner’s shin would be unprotected. The attack wouldn’t cause too much damage, due to the awkward angle, but was merely a start to the battle that was about to ensue. Furthermore, she still wanted to play the victim and whether the attack was successful or not, by not continuing her attack immediately she still had the chance to do just that. That noted, she would quickly pivot on her right foot to turn to face the two, her blade positioned to reflect the sunlight from her eyes and not allow a single moment of weakness.

“You know I’m glad I didn’t trust you completely, otherwise had I turned back quicker to depart your friend over there would have struck me from behind. You look like a knight but you certainly have no sense of honor in how you fight, quite deplorable really. Aren’t knights supposed to treat women kindly among your species or do those stories lie when they speak of knights of unparalleled chivalry and courage?” she spat at the armor wearing fool, her eyes then glancing over to the black-haired human. Her eyes still fierce, she let out a sigh of disappointment before speaking once more,

“Perhaps you could put a leash on that mad dog of yours? Otherwise, I am not one to back away from a fight someone else started due to their own lack of self-control and will gladly duel this fool as he wishes. If he believes so heavily that I’m not someone to leave be then I will do what I must and teach him to take responsibility for his ill thought-out actions,” she added, her words having an air of anger about them that anyone would after such a reaction. She wasn’t sure how well her act would hold up at this point but it was still worth a shot. If she could bait the knight into agreeing into a one on one fight, she could easily mop the floor with him before proceeding to the soldier. While the Heartless was confident in her abilities to take on both warriors, she knew it be much easier to deal with them individually as opposed to together. Furthermore, if black-haired man was what she pegged him for, than he wouldn’t butt into a one on one fight and would let Steiner deal with the consequences of his actions himself. After all, a man had to take responsibility for his actions and Zack’s demeanor seemed to be the kind that would agree with that sentiment. If he didn’t well… then the bestial instinct inside Hadria wouldn’t let reason hold it back any longer.

OOC: Cruentus Adficio = 0% (waiting on hit confirmation to add)

[dameon]

The older knight moved forward to speak to Zack. "Zack I don't trust that she isn't harmed by the keys. Use them to your advantage as much as you can." The former SOLDIER agreed, thinking that the Keyblade probably worked much in the same way heat or cold or even electricity did, with proper insulation helping dilute the effects. If it didn't, why did some Heartless bother with armor? He had planned to simply hand the woman a Keyblade, out and out forcing her to make a move that would give him the information he needed, but the armor clad knight had a much more action packed strategy in mind.

As Steiner made his move, grabbing and hurling the nearest Keyblade, Zack winced. It wasn't exactly what he'd had planned, but again, actions speak volumes. Obviously a heavily clad man such as Steiner wasn't subtle in his intentions or actions, but Zack couldn't blame him. He'd ran into plenty of effective fighters that had a combat style similar to that of a tiger, or a wolf, and Steiner looked like his fighting style would be akin to that of a sword wielding bear. As much power as there was behind his throw, the woman seemed to pick up on the move fast enough to make her counter attack.

The blades the woman had ripped from the ground were shot towards them, twisting like shuriken in the air, a weapon that Zack had dealt with numerous times in the war with Wutai and again later with a female Turk who had chased himself and Cloud. In a strategy that had served him well in the past, Zack brought his stance down low and swung the blade sideways, striking in an uppercut. The weapon swung into the path of the three spinning blades like a weaponized shield. While the blades were indeed moving fast, their spinning and awkward shapes made them easy to strike and throw off their intended paths. Two skidded harmlessly off to either side of Zack, and the second flying straight up into the air.

He heard the woman trying to talk fast and smooth in the aftermath of her attack, and caught her striking out at Steiner. She struck out to slice into Steiner's shin, and while it wasn't a fatal attack, it had the potential to cripple an opponent, and if done properly, slice an artery which did have the potential to kill a man, especially one in heavy armor and far away from real treatment.

“You know I’m glad I didn’t trust you completely, otherwise had I turned back quicker to depart your friend over there would have struck me from behind. You look like a knight but you certainly have no sense of honor in how you fight, quite deplorable really. Aren’t knights supposed to treat women kindly among your species or do those stories lie when they speak of knights of unparalleled chivalry and courage?”

Cute. Talking about chivalry after throwing three blades towards the both of them, rather than just dealing with the single attack. Zack had lost his qualms about fighting. If it came down to it, he'd just knock her out and tie her up until this was all done. He didn't have time to have these kinds of distractions. The military training in him was already strategizing a way to disarm and disable the girl, but first things first, he had to get some space between her and a potentially wounded team mate. "Chivalry takes a back seat to a fight. On the field, man or woman, you're treated the same."

“Perhaps you could put a leash on that mad dog of yours? Otherwise, I am not one to back away from a fight someone else started due to their own lack of self-control and will gladly duel this fool as he wishes. If he believes so heavily that I’m not someone to leave be then I will do what I must and teach him to take responsibility for his ill thought-out actions,”

He adjusted his weapon to be pointed at the female assailant while letting him be ready to attack or defend depending on the situation. "Soldiers fight as a unit, and as far as I'm concerned, we're part of the same unit. You attack him, you attack me." He could tell that wasn't the response she had expected, and he tightened his grip on his weapon. "What? You think I'm some sort of Samurai? I have my honor, and even if I don't agree with Steiner's actions, you aren't exactly a golden girl either. But don't worry..." As the tip of his blade began to take on a bright red glow that spread across the weapon as if it had become consumed in a narrow layer of fire, he lunged forward. "We're not murderers."

(High Braver initiated but not used.)

[jordandahedgy]

Steiner saw that his attack missed and then he saw the keys fly at him and Zack. Quickly Zack was able to defelect them, the swift motion of the defence quite impreassed Stiener.

It was then the woman ran forward to try and slice The knights knee. Stiener had about a second before the attack stuck and moved his blade to block the attack. The blade just blocked the blow and Steiner stumbled back a step.

The woman spat out posion words to try and hurt Steiner as another form of attack. However Steiner was an upholder of the law and was insulted all the time. This woman didn't bother him at all. Steiner shook his head dismising all her words.

Then Zack spoke back to her. He spoke about honor and teamwork. Zack really did have admarable qualitlys and defended those he fought alongside. the knight smiled lightly and stood back in his battle stance.

"I'm afraid that you do not understand honor heartless. I am sorry for you." the knight said calmly. His eyes locked on the heartless woman. He hoped Zack was good at using the enviroment to his advantage because Steiner knew that the keys would probably be there greatest weapons in this fight.

[Hadria]

And so the events preceded, Hadria’s words still having little effect on the pair of warriors. It was unfortunate really, an angry opponent being much easier to handle than one that was calm and focused but there was still hope. Indeed, at this point the Heartless had only tried playing the victim and had yet to explore one of the many other avenues that could possibly get under the skin of these two warriors. What would she try next? Would she use that dark aura she had been repressing to intimidate them? Would she dance around them as they attacked relentlessly toying with them? Or would she “troll” them like other pink-skins would? Certainly many options were available but first she would reply to the words spoken by the former SOLIDER.

“Oh no I’m quite pleased with the fact that you aren’t. You’ve betrayed my expectations of you every step of the way thus far, you’re quite interesting actually. If I had met you under any other circumstances I’d think I’d have to ask you out on at least ONE date,” she spoke softly, her voice taking a sultry tone near the end as she licked the tip of her left index finger. The knight spoke soon after as Zack readied his attack, words so foolishly rushed the Heartless couldn't help but laugh.

"Perhaps you're right but surely you don't know the meaning of such a concept seeing as you have no hesitance in defiling the graves of warriors from the past," she shot back, a small giggle escaping her lips as she smiled lightly. As this smile crept against her lips and Zack lunged at her, the dark aura she had been restraining would release. The blood in her veins would begin to pump violently, the mere thought of the upcoming battle exciting her. Yes it was that thought of the many scenarios that this battle might entail, all made of various variables that gave her an unbelievable rush. It was a liberating pleasure that ran through her body when she fought someone she had taken interest into, her savage need for blood not only being satisfied but in a small way the desire she held to fight for a reason better than the standard “because you’re a Heartless,”

‘A label that I refuse to accept,’ her mind would comment, her thoughts always wandering even during battle. It was the truth though; the average run of the mill Heartless was far different than Hadria, an existence that seemed entirely unlike her own. Sure the lack of heart seemed to indicate as such but wasn’t that the same of Nobodies? While true, her being a Nobody was out of the question as well since she had no memories of her previous life to recollect on. Furthermore, if she was a Heartless why did she take such a human like appearance? Human like features were a trait that Nobodies had, not Heartless so why did she? It was utterly baffling; another perplexing thought that would float about in her brain thanks to this encounter with Zack and Steiner. Oh how she wished to think upon it but she was now at the point where she’d have to react to Zack’s movement toward her, his blade getting oh so very close.

Her mind would snap back to reality, her instinct melding with her calculative mind to begin moving in this battle. The first move she would make is the tilting of her katana, using the sunlight to briefly shine it directly into Zack’s eyes, a move that while not damaging, would surely hinder his own ability to attack properly. The next move would be to slip to his left side at the last possible moment, instinct allowing her to make that close call based on nothing but her accumulated battle experience. As she slipped to the left side of her opponent, Hadria’s body would begin to spin. Her right hand which still clenched the blade tightly would follow, attempting to cleave through Zack’s back and the back of his left arm. If this attack landed, it would be a great starter for this battle, a wound that would bleed steadily and drain the warrior’s stamina as the fight went on. Although that wasn’t the only reason she had attacked like that, no she was taking advantage of her opponent’s weapon. While it was intimidating, the giant blade the Ex-SOLIDER wielded had a might big weakness in that it was easy to predict as well as get past it’s effective range. If one had the courage to step forward without hesitation, close range combat would severely limit the effectiveness of such a huge blade and any counter would be slow to follow no matter how strong or skillfully one wielded the Buster Sword. Regardless, the Heartless would spin a full 360 degrees and immediately sprint in her signature style, upper body parallel to the floor and katana resting held atop her right shoulder with both hands. Yes she would then dash away from the source of conflict and actually toward… the keyblades? It would probably shock the two warriors that she was running toward what they thought as incredibly dangerous to her well-being, an emotion Hadria certainly hoped to evoke. Doing the unexpected was something she prided herself on, and always setting the stage for a grand finale. That being noted, as she dashed toward the keyblades, her own katana would slice into her flesh, blood trailing behind her pouring from her left hand. While it couldn’t be seen, a twisted grin curved against her lips as the euphoric feeling of pain washed over her body, stimulating her senses as her plan went into motion and upon reaching the keys began to swing her sword wildly and knock them out of the ground. While the number of keys littering the battlefield was small now, the amount would surely grow within time and the fact that keyblades surrounded them on all sides would soon become a fact that would lead the two warriors to their destruction as opposed to the salvation they believed they would bring.

OOC:

Cruentus Adficio = 0 + 25% (from light damage caused to self)
25% + X% (waiting on hit confirmation before adding or not)