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Post by dameon on Aug 9, 2011 21:23:55 GMT -5
As the momentum began on the behalf of all parties, Zack was glad to see that Steiner had managed to defend himself from the initial blow. Instead, the woman began to turn her attention fully towards the ex-SOLDIER, something that suited Zack just fine. “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,”
Suddenly, reminded by the words coming from the woman clad in red, Zack had a flash back of a scene with Scarlet where she'd tried to....interview him for a....position of personal assistance. It seemed that the woman before him would forever be haunted by the shadow of Scarlet, and the action of her orally toying with her finger served only to make the ex-SOLDIER visibly gag. This mental distraction and physical reflex caused Zack to falter enough to become victim to a rather amateur level tactic. A flash of sunlight glinted off the woman's blade, and would have very easily stunned the SOLDIER if not for the fact that the Graveyard seemed to be caught in an eternal cloud cover, and that his hair came down in a few sharp bangs to cut the glare.
Even so, it had done it's damage. As Hadria slipped under the cut of his strike, he felt her weapon clash against the metallic harness his weapon was often clasped to. The back harness managed to save him from a strike to the spine, but the blade still managed to cut across his forearm. Although a glancing and superficial blow, it still caused the ex-SOLDIER to grit his teeth in pain. The energy from his attack dissipated as his concentration on that particular attack faded. Swirling around, he struck out with his blade to try to catch the slithering woman, but missed her by a hair.
As he steadied himself, he realized that his target was now making a tactical withdrawal, but instead of heading for higher ground, or something else advantageous like that, she rushed head long into the forest of fallen keyblades. Zack might have been younger than some, but he wasn't inexperienced. Even so, he waved to Steiner and made a silent motion for the armor clad Knight to pursue the woman, not bothering to tell the man to be careful. If Steiner was half the knight he appeared to be, he'd know this was obviously not a suicide run for the woman.
Zack, in the mean time, sprinted full tilt around the field of Keyblades. His path had a longer distance to cover than the womans, but without being hindered by the root like entanglement of the Keyblades, he had a speed advantage that would hopefully allow him to cut her off. His sword tight in his grip, he moved as fast as his legs would carry him, ignoring the numbing pain that ran through the skin of his arm. He could still feel his fingers, so there wasn't any poison, but she could have done a lot more damage if things had been an inch to either side.
As he found his footing on the far end of the Keyblade field, he held his blade out before him. When Steiner had called the woman a Heartless, she seethed, but didn't deny it. That mean that if she wouldn't be taken prisoner, he wouldn't have to keep that promise about killing. After all, these things were never really alive, right?
With that in mind, Zack tightened his grip on his weapon. Whenever someone saw the Bustersword, they immediately assumed it was ungainly, slow and limited in it's usability, but it's unique composition and angled edge made it a unique weapon to wield. Not only that, but the wielder was as much a threat as the weapon. With his leg muscles tensing, Zack launched himself into the air. With two strong twists of the blade over head, he created a small dust storm in the sandy air of the graveyard, then, with a powerful lunge, he thrust his blade forward, which had taken on a glow. With the swing, the sky filled with stars, but those stars filled the sky between Zack and the female swordsman and rushed towards her.
As she scampered through the Keyblades, over a dozen meteors screamed through the air, each with a comet's tail as they rushed towards their target. Any hunk of astral rock that did not hit it's designated target would instead crash into the nearby ground, and explode upon impact. Sparks, licks of flame, hunks of both cool and burning earth, and various keyblades would scatter upon impact all around their intended target, if not striking her directly.
(Meteor Shots: This ability is triggered by memories of his camaraderie with Cloud. Zack launches himself into the air, and with his weapon, directs a shower of 16 high impact meteors to pummel his target. Each one exploding with violent force and a high temperature, the attach deals both physical and fire based damage on either a single target, or multiple enemies. The more enemies it hits, the more the damage is spread out among them, while a single target takes the full damage solely. (Cooldown: 4 posts.))
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Post by jordandahedgy on Aug 10, 2011 10:33:31 GMT -5
The woman was still talking. Though Steiner didn't care or listen he was just concerned with the fight. He watched every move the woman made carefully.
She tried to blind Zack in a cheap move then moved behind him. Steiner saw the woman try to attack Zack and moved forward to prevent it. He wasn't quick enough though and failed. She managed to dodge Zack's retaliation and then sprinted off knocking over keyblades as she went. Steiner saw Zack's signal to follow and did so carefully avoiding the keys as Zack sprinted a head, being a lot quicker than Steiner.
The knight saw Zack jump and meteors rain around the woman. This Shocked Steiner as he didn't think Zack could use magic.
As the last of the meteors fell Steiner ran forward and lifted his sword. magic began to crawl up the blade coating it in fire. Then Steiner swung down the fire exploding. While it wasn't an extremely strong move Steiner hoped it would knock the woman into the keys.
--------------------------------------------------------- OOC: Fire sword: Fire magic is cast on Steiner's sword coating it to do more damage to opponents. [Duration: 1 turn. cool down: 1 turn]
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Hadria
Heartless/Nobody
[M:75]
Maeror est meus extasis!
Posts: 67
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Post by Hadria on Aug 10, 2011 16:16:38 GMT -5
The battle had now begun, Hadria’s first move having been marginally successful and having scored the first blow. It may have been a superficial cut, one that wouldn’t be a game changer by any means but merely the first step in Hadria’s plan. Indeed, her blade would accept the donation of blood hungrily, letting it slide down into the orb that held the hilt and blade together. It was halfway full, nearing ready to unleash the first of the Heartless’ attacks and begging for more. And the Heartless would surely fight to satisfy her katana, knowing that so long as she indulged it in its fiendish desires it would continue to serve her well. Regardless, after having ran into the myriad of keyblades posted as headstones and knocking several over, the black haired man had managed to cut her off, taking the long way round and arriving at the other side. The Heartless smiled at his reaction, the first step of her plan having been pulled off flawlessly and separating the two. Perhaps the ex-SOLIDER thought it best to attack from both sides but had he thought things through further, he would have known that Hadria’s movement would be even more limited among the keys making her previous show of last minute dodging impossible to do. Indeed, hitting her with that giant blade of his would have been much easier especially if Steiner had been quick to follow in and charge at her. If he acted as the meat shield, something quite possible with that armor of his to protect him, then overpowering her would have been quite an easy task to accomplish. Yet mistakes were something she needed to capitalize on if she wanted to win this battle even if it did disappoint her a tad that the man she had begun to admire a tad was falling for simple tricks. Then the first attack began, Zack jumping high into the air as he initiated his Meteor Rain ability, Hadria’s mind already breaking it down as it was sent at her. The first notable fact was that the comets steadily approaching her were coming at her fast and on fire. Whether they hit her or the surrounding area, it was pretty obvious that they were going to scatter the keys nearby. It would also make sense that the ex-SOLIDER would use an attack that took advantage of the keyblades and would force them out of the ground violently so explosions were increasingly likely. Furthermore, if such an attack were used, normally it’d restrict an opponent’s movement even further and allow backup to strike from the flank, I.E. Steiner. While she was happy that it helped prepare the grand attack she had in store for these two fools later, it would still prove a pain the avoid being put in a very disadvantageous situation… at least for a normal fighter which the Heartless was far from. And so the meteors came down one after another, the first few hitting around her as opposed to on top of her. She would crouch as they hit the ground, keyblades zooming past her head by scant inches, her arms protecting her sides from any other keyblades. More would touch down, getting closer to their target and a cue for Hadria to move in the only way available… vertically. Using all of that monstrous strength that being a Heartless provided, Hadria would jump backwards, taking advantage of the explosions that the meteors caused to make her escape. It would still be a painful endeavor but would let her escape with minor damage… or rather she had hoped. Unfortunately for her, the knight had used an attack she hadn’t expected out of him, one that caused another explosion among the already several present. The explosive force while not as strong as the combined force of the many meteors Zack had used, had still limited the effectiveness of her move, making the jump back that she had expected to take her back at least 30 feet, be reduced to at least 15 feet, just enough to get out of that side of the keyblade graveyard. Not only that, but instead of light damage taken from the explosive force of the meteors, she had taken a much heavier blow than originally accounted for with the combination between the two and the stray keyblade or two that hit her. Regardless, the Heartless would spiral in the air, her back seared but quickly mending itself or rather her clothing anyway. That was another peculiar mystery she always pondered about, how her clothes miraculously fixed themselves after the wear and tear of battle. Were they like a second layer of skin that just had a much higher rate of regeneration than the first or was it the darkness she blanketed herself in that gave her a fitting attire? Whatever the case was, it was a topic to think about another time as she landed on the ground, sticking said landing with unmatchable grace (directly on her face). It was a painful looking sight, one that if one didn’t know any better, one would imagine that the Heartless had died from just that alone. Yet she was far from dead and while a tad injured, the pain was nothing new, nor wished away. No she enjoyed agony in all shapes and sizes, even that of which was inflicted upon her and she would surely return the favor to the knight that had allowed it all to happen. Within a short moment of hitting the ground and regaining her bearings while playing possum, the Heartless would activate an ability of hers that would disable the foolish knight… Cruentus Acus. As was mentioned previously, Hadria had cut open a wound on her hand, allowing it to leave a trail of blood behind her. While Zack had been cautious and avoided that trail of blood, Steiner had walked right into it when having attacked her from behind. Seeing as the knight would have cumbersome movement weighted down by the armor he wore, Hadria would take advantage of his current position and have needles of blood stretch and expand out from the ground. If successful, the needles would stab through the knight’s unguarded shins/calves, possibly severing an artery while limiting his movement by keeping him pinned to the ground. In that moment of opportunity, Hadria would quickly pick herself up, a wicked smile curved against her lips as she would take off toward the knight and cover the little distance between them. Whether he was brought to his knees by Cruentus Acus or had somehow managed to evade the attack, her follow-up would be the same… “Cruentus Orbis,” would slip past the Heartless’ lips in a whisper that only the knight would be able to hear. As the words were spoken, the Heartless would slash with her blade with both hands almost like a baseball bat. The attack would approach Steiner from his right, once again aimed at the kinks in his armor that were left unprotected. As her blade would rapidly approach that spot of weakness, a sickle of crimson liquid would emerge from the blade. The blade would curve around the man wrapping around his body in the shape of a circle as Hadria also would attempt to cut through his arm as well. Her blade would follow through as she jumped back, the sickle left behind in the wake of her attack suddenly constricting around her foe as it spun rapidly, tearing into armor, flesh, and hopefully bone. If hit by this blow, Steiner’s armor would surely weaken severely, if not be rendered useless due to the sharp edges that would produce a can opener like effect and possibly cut through it. It wasn’t something the Heartless was banking on but she knew that whatever the result her combo would be devastating… and with Zack all the way on the other side of the keyblade graveyard it was hard to believe he could do anything to help. Indeed it would take him a bit of time to get to the two even if he ran through the graveyard. After all, with all the keys underfoot, nearly anybody would stumble if they sprinted through them. If all went well, the dangerous situation she had been put in just moments ago would be completely reversed and paid back for in full… and the end for these two was fast approaching. OOC: Mused just exploded all over this post… that aside… Cruentus Adficio: 25 + 25% = 50% at beginning of post upon hit confirmation. 50 + 50% = 100% from damage received by double attack (I.E. Heavy Blow) 100 – 100% = 0% Cruentus Orbis used as a blood orb attack 0 + X% = X% waiting on hit confirmation of the sword attack that would land as Cruentus Orbis was used
Cruentus Acus: Used with own blood, 2 post cooldown.
Cruentus Orbis: Used, 3 post cooldown.
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Post by dameon on Aug 10, 2011 22:02:58 GMT -5
Zack could feel a pang of pride creep through his battle hardened appearance as the shrapnel did it's job. The fireworks display that rewarded his efforts gave him a certain sense of satisfaction, but he knew that things were rarely ever this easy. As his body coiled from the impact of landing, the ex-SOLDIER couldn't help but admire the older knight for his sudden attack to reinforce Zack's...somewhat inaccurate attack. As the flaming blade slashed towards their target, and an explosion erupted, the raven haired swordsman squinted into the dust, trying to see the outcome of the clash between the two. There was barely any movement he could kiss, but he did see a figure come calling back towards the earth.
He knew that the terrain had wedged itself between himself and the pair, so he hoped that the older swordsman had been able to hold his own in the cover of battle. Finally, he manged to catch sight of a form that was far too thin to be the man, a form that was nearly upside down in the terrain. However she had landed, it looked to have been quite painful, something that spoke well for the knight's chances, but as soon as Zack had thought of this, she pulled her head from the ground like some sort of annoyingly persistent...ostrich-cockroach hybrid. Her clothing began to regenerate in a way that reminded Zack of a lizard, or some sort of slime monster he'd often ran into when on missions in the caverns or deserts outside of Midgar. He could feel his grip tighten on his blade, and the heels of his boots digging into the soil. He was starting to think the best way to deal with this thing, no longer considering it a woman or even a person, would be to burn it, and possibly bury the ashes...but the easiest strategy right now might be to just cut off the head and go from there.
As soon as Hadria renewed her attack on Zack's cohort, he caught sight of a type of magic that gave him flashes of the spells and techniques that Genesis had thrown around during their extended rivalry. The blades the female thing had tossed about reminded him both of the crimson energy and blade of Genesis, as well as the man's affinity for using feathers as blades to slice at his opponents, but these were clearly not anything you'd find in a bird or wing of any kind. No, this was defiantly a crimson red, and it seemed to ooze from the path it had taken through the keyblade field. A crimson red fluid that could be utilized as a weapon? He'd heard some stories about the type of knights that utilized Blood to both attack and heal themselves, aptly named Blood Knights.
This thing didn't look like any kind of a knight, but it seemed like she....it....had the same intentions of using the fluid inside living things to make itself even deadlier. Glancing at his own wound, he cursed to himself inwardly. This was obviously not the superficial wound he had thought it had been originally. He didn't have time to make a proper bandage, so instead he undid one of the two belts he had clasped around his waist and speedily fastened it over his wound, tightening it to the point where it would stem the bleeding without causing him to lose flow to his hand. A temporary solution, but any way he could take away the slightest advantage this thing had, the better.
As he turned his attention back to the fight, he realized that Steiner was now in close quarters with the she-thing, and he felt his muscles tense. The blade had extended into a freakish snake like appendage, moving to constrict around Steiner like a great predator's tongue. He was suddenly reminded of the massive snakes that roamed the marshlands none too farm from Midgar, and the ex-SOLDIER swung his sword towards the woman. The blade began to heat up once more, from the tip of the blade nearly to the hilt. The air directly above the blade began to waver with intense heat, and that same air began to radiate off of his form until his arms, shoulders and upper body began to nearly steam.
The dust that had, moments before, littered the air to the point that one could taste it, that the entire landscape took on a dead tone to it, stained brown from the clouds above to the outline of every rock on the ground, now burned away from the area around the ex-SOLDIER, as if plumes of heat chased it off. The air directly around him clear as day, the ground around his feet began to slowly ripple outwards, or that was to say, the heat rushed layers of dust, dirt and even small stone away from his boots. This continued to grow in intensity until larger stones began to skip away, and the heels of Zack's boots left the ground, then, when it looked as if he was simply standing on the tips of his toes, he began to hover.
But it was only for a split second, because nearly instantly after Zack had become air born, he rushed at break neck speed towards Hadria and Steiner. If there was one thing that caused Zack to strike with every fiber of his being, it was when someone threatened those that fought at his side. As he knocked his blade into position, the heat radiating from it left a powerful jet stream behind him that had heated the air enough to cause it all to waver in his wake. The keyblades were less than an inch below the path he had cut over top of them. This emanation of heat had the unintentional effect of causing the fresh wound to cauterize, scabbing over much faster than even Zack realized, and the blood in the trail that the ex-SOLDIER rushed through began to boil and hiss from the aftershock of the heat his blade left in it's wake.
When he came within striking distance of the Heartless-thing, without sacrificing any momentum, feeding it all into his swing, he struck upwards, the blade skimming the ground, cutting through stone and dirt alike, clashing sparks of both friction and heat, the chunk of ground the blade sliced through parting like butter, leaving only a burnt scar. The curve of momentum allowed Zack to bring the full force of both his speed and his full strength into an unleashed attack that was meant to fling the target high into the air, but that wasn't the end of the assault, no. Allowing himself to use the same momentum, Zack's own body turned at a 90 degree angle, and fired straight up past his enemy.
The heat from the blade still radiating just as strong as it had when he first launched himself forward, the wave of heat would wash over Hadria as Zack passed her, and once they were at an equal level, there was only a passing glance before Zack unleashed a violent storm of slashes from his blade. Each one searing hot so that any slashes Zack would inflict on his target would cauterize themselves immediately afterwards. He wasn't about to give the cur any more access to her source for spells, blood. The slashes came out in a blur, striking succinctly one after another, each strike leaving an ever growing smell of burning flesh that didn't cause Zack to waver for even a moment. He'd managed, a long time ago, to come to terms with the fact that things, evil things, could take on the guise of humans.
As that final slash was unleashed, the ex-SOLDIER raised his blade high over his head, the entire heat filled aura of his weapon and the air around it focused along the razor sharp edge of the massive blade. As he swung downwards with both hands, a guttural roar rushing out from his throat, the weapon exploded with a blinding white light upon impact, one that put Fadria's little 'reflection' trick earlier to shame. As Zack's own momentum began to fade, he felt gravity once more take hold and he dropped to the ground, his muscles tense, his arm burnt, and his flesh coated in sweat as much from the heat as it was from the effort.
Sparing a glance towards the armored man, Zack quickly turned his attention back towards where his target would have landed. "You still with me old man?" As much as Zack thought he could take this thing by himself, she...it...might not be alone, and having someone watching your back was something Zack had always missed. If Steiner was half as tough as he looked, he'd be someone the ex-SOLDIER wouldn't mind watching his back, but right now his front wasn't too safe, and he came to stance, blade poised, waiting for the she-monster to make another move.
(Chain Slash: A straight forward and 'to the point' rush attack. Zack darts towards his opponent and begins the assault with a powerful slash from his sword. Once the initial attack lands, he chains it into four more strikes that are a mix of vertical, horizontal and diagonal slashes, finishing with a powerful downward slash that emits a blinding light. (Cooldown: Two Posts.)
High Braver: Zack's Bustersword takes on a red hue, specifically along the bladed edge which is nearly white hot, and flies towards the target. With the tip of the blade nearly touching the ground, Zack slices in an 'uppercut' and launches his opponent into the air. Then, with a powerful leap, he flies past them, and swings the blade in an overhead chop, slashing the target and sending them crashing back towards the ground below. Can be used in combination with Chain Slash mid-air, but only if Chain Slash is not on CD. Immediately starts CD for both attacks if combo'd. (Cooldown: Two Posts))
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Post by jordandahedgy on Aug 11, 2011 16:29:38 GMT -5
Steiner's blade swung into the woman as she flipped over him and the explosion threw her off course. While not what he had expected it seemed successful. The woman stood and her clothe fixed them selves which was completely unsurprising to Steiner as he had seen stranger things.
The knight quickly decided to run forward and press the advantage hoping that Zack would catch up to him. At that moment Steiner saw the trail of the woman's blood gaining spikes. The spikes traveled down the blood quickly and Steiner moved quickly threw himself to the ground a the side of the trail, something hard to do in his armor. He landed just before the spikes touched his legs.
The woman seemed unfazed and whispered something Steiner couldn't catch. Then she sliced forward heavily. Steiner moved as quick as he could but was caught by the attack. she sliced into his legs and arms. Then the sword extended wrapping around him like a whip.
Before anything could come of it thought, Zack shot forward at high speed. Steiner could barely see Zack's shape as he landed a heavy attack on the woman. Steiner's legs were injured but he stood as Zack knocked her into the air and unleashed a combo attack.
Then the Ex-SOLDIER smashed his sword into the woman's head smashing her into the ground, before falling himself. Steiner limped slightly as he walked toward to Zack and nodded as he asked the Knight if he was alive. Steiner was hurt badly and hoped the fight would be over soon. "Don't call me old man." Steiner said irked at the comment and readyed his sword.
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Hadria
Heartless/Nobody
[M:75]
Maeror est meus extasis!
Posts: 67
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Post by Hadria on Aug 11, 2011 21:31:24 GMT -5
As the Heartless had backed away from her opponent, her indecent smile would curve wider, noticing the amount of damage the knight had taken from her combo. His armor was in shreds, his flesh torn asunder and bleeding profusely. She had cut both of his arms terribly, a fact that would surely limit his effectiveness with the sword he wielded and eventually tire out from prolonged blood loss if the battle dragged on. Indeed, that was Hadria's speciality, dragging out battles and exhausting her opponent's that were typically human. While she used her own blood to supply her techniques, she more often than not used more of her opponent's and while her own stamina could be drained by blood loss, her opponent's was always far worse. Yes it was highly likely that even standing at this point was proving troublesome for the knight, while Hadria on the other had only lost peanuts in blood. With that in mind, the Heartless had wanted to take advantage of her opponent's weakened state but the ex-SOLIDER she was infactuated would voice his disagreement to that sentiment with his blade. Within seconds he raced past the keyblade graveyard, his blade positioned for an uppercut like motion, a fact surely noted by Hadria. As he approached closer and closer, Hadria licked along the edge of her blade lightly, cleaning off the reisdue that remained. She quickly spat it out, sticking her tongue out showing her disgust. When Zack had finally made it across, her smile returned as she whispered a few choice words, barely audible to even her own ears, “I can't wait to taste yours,” and with that Zack's attack begun, first with the expected uppercut. Needless to say, with it predicted long before it came Hadria was able to position her blade properly to block the blade, metal clashing against metal. As the blades clashed, a wave of heat washed over the Heartless like she had never felt before. It excited her immensely, her blood boiling as she acknowledged her opponent's strength. Oh how she held this man in high regard, this adoration further strengthed when she noticed the belt tied around the wound he had received earlier. Despite his appearance, his concentration and focus were unrivaled in battle and his ingenunity was quite startling. Indeed there was hardly a time where the Heartless got to enjoy a battle that tested her both physically and mentally, knowing that if she didn't maintain both her body and mind at peak performance throughout the endeavor, her death was assured. Whether the outcome of this battle was victory or defeat, the Heartless felt as if she could be satisified by either. If she were slain by this man's blade then she'd die happy knowing that she didn't lose to some simpleton much like the dim-witted knight. Yes this battle was birthing emotions in the Heartless she didn't know exsisted. Or perhaps emotions was the wrong word, without a heart she couldn't feel correct? Once again her mind questioned the validity of that “fact” humans harped on constantly but was dismissed as the attack that she had blocked had sent her up to the sky with Zack hot on her trail. Another wave of heat flushed over her body as Zack rose to her level in the sky, his eyes glaring with a beastial ferocity. His rage was evident, although a bit confusing since the Heartless herself thought the knight as nothing more than a waste of space on the battlefield. It was obvious that he wouldn't go easy on her at this point, any sliver of restraint now gone. And the Heartless would take the blows that came next willingly, the searing pain unlike any she had ever felt before. The blade scorched and burned into her skin, a look of ecstacy painted on her face as blow after blow was taken. This type of pain was foreign to her, never having before been struck with metal so hot that it felt like it had been soaked in lava beforehand. An as the chain of strikes ended she felt a tad disappointed, having wanted more but Zack looked to end his attack with an overhead swing. Unfortauntly for the ex-SOLIDER, Hadria wouldn't allow herself to die if she could help it, quite keen on the idea of being slashed over and over with that giant sword of his. Her arms that had been limp throughout the whole ordeal began to twitch, her mind giving the order for them to move. As the bright flash of white light engulfed them, Hadria's arms would snap up in the nick of time, her blade being held against both hands to guard against the blow. While it helped, the blow was still quite powerful and sent her crashing down back to the dry arid wasteland. Her body slammed against the ground roughly, it actually being bounced up a couple feet as she coughed a healthy chunk of blood before falling back down. The grip on her blade weakened as she lay with her left arm stretched out, her eyelids getting heavier by the moment. Her eyes wandered around, getting every bit of sensory information they could gather. Zack's feet were touching down on the ground slowly, the dust settling underneath his boots. He was a mere foot away from her grasp, the bounce from earlier having made her a bit closer than she would have been. Yes taking the full impact of that blow while very painful, had been a stroke of luck really. Had she tried to cancel out the force by slamming her hands against the ground, this small blessing would not have presented itself... 'A blessing for a Heartless... how morbirdly ironic,' she thought as she began her next move. The amount of damage she had taken was severe, but like a human Hadria had an amazing will to live. Whether it was because she wanted to feel the cold steel of Zack's blade once more (or rather hot), or just her Heartless instinct pushing her to survive, she summoned the strength to inch ever so closer. The shuffling movement would be hardly noticeable at all, Hadria using the least amount of energy possible to get closer and closer. When she reached her desired destination, she would use every bit of the strength she summoned to latch her hand around Zack's ankle, her nails digging deep into his skin. She would clench with all her might on both his ankle and her blade, her grip surely something even the battle-harderend warrior would falter in from pain and not escape easily. No escape was impossible, at least in Hadria's eyes cause this was her life-line, the damage she had sustained being great enough to debiliate her movement at least by half which would make her nothing short of a sitting duck even if she did stand up. Regardless, as her hand coiled around Zack's ankle as he made his comment to Steiner and looked over to him, a moment of weakness being taken advantage of, a Corridor of Darkness would open beneath the two. Gravity would then pull the two down through the hole, and as quickly as it came, the corridor would vanish permitting no one else to enter it. Suddenly, the two would be up in the sky once more, a mischevious smirk on the Heartless' face as her hand opened ever so slightly and she activated one of her recently acquired techniques... Cruentus Epotus. With a blatant disregard for the laws of physics, Hadria's body would seperate itself from Zack by about 3 feet as a stream of blood connected the two. The stream of blood would cycle around Hadria's left hand as it went up her arm and slipped into her mouth, a liquid she had been dying to taste touching her tongue but doing more than simply satisify her. Slowly but surely, the blood she had loss during the course of this battle and the damage she had received would be healed while Zack on the other head would be losing copious amounts of blood, roughly 2 pints from what Hadria had guessed during her testing of this ability on defenseless trash. Yes and while this ability was in effect he would be powerless to stop it... and his friend? Well if he could move even half as fast as he was before (which was rather slow in the first place), he'd have to sprout wings to interrupt the transfer of blood. Indeed for when Hadria had opened up that portal, she had made it go up nearly sixty feet and on the other end of the dismantled keyblade graveyard quite close to where Zack had unleashed Meteor Rain. The distance was too far to cover before they'd reach the ground and the ability would end. Furthermore unless he had some sort of ranged ability, the knight's options were limited and throwing his sword that distance with accuracy in his current state was simply infeasible. And with that in mind the Heartless would enjoy the short time before Zack crashed into the ground head first among the scattered keys. The rest of his body would follow rather quickly as gravity pulled it down, Hadria landing as safely as she could to limit the damage she took herself using the rolling method humans had developed. Despite the effort, the fall still stung but... “Ahhh what an exotic taste, like nothing I've ever tried before... I might let you live just so I can sample it again,” the Heartless would exclaim, a second wind of sorts gracing her. While she hadn't completely recovered from the damage she had taken thus far, she was certainly better off than the other two right now. Not only that, but even if they had any sort of healing abilities themselves to use, if they weren't similar to Hadria's they wouldn't be incredibly helpful. After all, Hadria's attacks drew blood and in Zack's case he had lost at least 2 pints of blood quite quickly. His mind would be in a haze and his body weak from the forced blood “donation”, something not easily healed by normal means.Steiner on the other hand, while it was quite likely he hadn't lost as much blood as Zack, would be getting there soon if he didn't take the time to close his wounds. Either way, things were looking up for the creature known as Hadria and with her new found energy she would walk a few steps away from the ex-SOLIDER watching both him and the knight and waiting for them to get up... the curtain call was hastily approaching if everything went the way Hadria wished. "Come at me... if you dare,"OOC:
Cruentus Adficio: 0 + 50% = 50% from heavy blow dealt to Steiner (the sword slash after Orbis was used) 50 + 50% = 100% from taking Zack's combo attack 100 + 25% = 100% from fall damage (extra 25% is wasted)
Cruentus Acus: 1 post cooldown left
Cruentus Orbis: 2 post cooldown left
Cruentus Epotus: 4 post cooldown left
Corridors of Darkness: 2 post cooldown left [/color]
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Post by dameon on Aug 12, 2011 1:35:40 GMT -5
OOC: He really only set his blade in position for attack a scant second or so before striking, having already launched himself into flight over top of the blades before doing so. So she really wouldn't have had 'that' long to see his stance, but we'll go with it.
Steiner's derisive response about Zack's 'old man' line gave him a silent sense of relief. Not only did the knight have enough life left in him to respond, but he had enough to give it a bit of attitude. Old swordsmen never really liked being reminded of their age, something Zack had come to notice very quickly during his career. But reminiscing wasn't something that'd help either of the men in their current situation. As he focused on the clearing smoke from Hadria's impact, he caught sight of the Heartless' limp form bounce and scrape against the ground, and gained a certain sense of satisfaction from it.
But even as he prepared to land a finishing blow on the creature, it moved from it's landing place. Zack once more had images of a giant cockroach come to mind with this thing, and suddenly considered stomping it into the ground with his boot, much akin to the fate of the thing that this heartless reminded him of. But before he could even lift his boot from the ground, he felt a hand clamp around his ankle, and before he could even swing his sword to slice it off at the wrist, the world around him took on a blank haze.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly felt as if water, and he began to sink just as fast as one would stepping out from a dock onto the surface of a lake. All Zack had time to do was hold his breath, more out of instinct than the belief it would actually do anything. All light around him seemed to suddenly snuff out, and he found himself lost in a dark void, something that...seemed strangely familiar. The darkness, cold, sterile and choking wrapped around him like a cloak of sheet ice, cutting off the feeling to every one of his limbs, and eventually his entire body. It felt as if every time he tried to inhale, it burned his throat with the most violent of cold bursts of air. His nose felt clogged, his skin ached as if sand had been glued to every inch of his body, his eyelids felt frozen together.
Then, he emerged from the void, his sense of balance lost as much from the darkness as it was from the fact that he was now high in the air, and his mind barely registered the pang he felt in his leg where he barely recalled that the Heartless had clutched him. As the stream of crimson fluids drained from his body, pouring out from the point of contact, and across the three foot gap that now existed between himself and the wench, Zack could feel himself waver as time went on. The combined disorientation from the drained blood, the realm of darkness and the sudden descent towards the ground, the ex-SOLDIER barely even registered she-thing's words of “Ahhh what an exotic taste, like nothing I've ever tried before... I might let you live just so I can sample it again,”.
The words were barely audible in Zack's hollowed world, and he felt his already numb hands finally let go of his blade. The pull of gravity began to take hold and he felt his momentum pick up speed as he plummeted towards the earth. Somehow, he felt as if this wasn't the first time he'd been traveling freely through the air, but it felt backwards when compared to the last instance. As speed began to pick up, that once and familiar feeling of being locked in the dark began to take hold of him again, and a familiar voice, one he'd heard before...he couldn't kiss the voice specifically...but somehow he knew he'd heard it before. Once long ago, and once fairly recently. "Wake up, you little mosquito."
Suddenly, wisps of black began to bleed from Zack's body in such a way that, if not for the color, it would have looked like Hadria had continued to bleed the swordsman dry, but they were in fact black as pitch, and the speed with which they emerged and expanded was greater than that of any wound, no matter the size or how numerous. In the final instances before Zack met the ground, it looked as if he had caught fire, and the blackest of smokes were smoldering off of his body, but when he hit the ground, rather than continuing to plume upwards, it erupted out in all directions like a shockwave.
Zack had crashed to the ground on his hands and knees, the earth wedged tightly between his fingers to the point that when they lifted, two deeply and clearly defined hand prints. The black mist emanating off of him in waves, his blade dropping to his side, the blade sinking deeply into the earth. The onyx aura dwarfed the once and former heat that had been glowing around Zack during his last attack. But something was different and instantly noticeable. His hand clasped around the handle of his sword, and he rose to his feet, but as his eyes set upon Hadria, they lacked their once and former focus. Glazed, they didn't look at the Heartless, but rather through her, and as soon as Zack had gripped his blade, he was gone.
The black fog that had once surrounded his position were left with an absent silhouette of the once and former SOLDIER. As if he had simply shifted the world around him, Zack was now behind Hadria, that same glazed look on his eyes, but now, he struck out with his blade with a strength, and deathly intent. The former mannerisms that came with Zack's fighting style were gone. Zack's blade came in for a powerful slash with numerous blinks with the swordsman appearing instantly in numerous points around the faux female swordsman. As the flurry of blows came to a head, he swung out with a climactic strike to the Heartless to unleash the remaining power in a blow meant to knock her...it...the thing from it's feet with enough force to fire the Heartless a great distance away.
As the final blow exploded from Zack's attack, as if taking the last of whatever was driving him to fight the way he was, the darkness burst off of his skin as if water had been dumped onto his flaming skin. He dropped to one knee, gasping as if the entire ordeal had him holding his breath, and he now used his blade as a crutch. The force of whatever drove him seeming to be more of a crippling effect than the blood loss, and as Zack fought to shake it off, he felt his strength returning, although he was still indeed reeling from the fluids Hadria had sapped from him.
Despite his actions not being entirely his own, he had seen the entire ordeal clearly, and clenched his teeth as he pulled himself fully to his feet. He only hoped that Steiner would take advantage of the situation.
(Hero's Pride: The air around Zack crackles with energy, and electricity before he moves at blinding speed towards the target. Teleporting around his opponent, he slashes from all sides repeatedly, striking his opponent at nearly every angle before delivering a powerful blow to the back, sending them flying forward. (Cooldown: 4 posts. Can be used on the ground, or mid air.))
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Post by jordandahedgy on Aug 12, 2011 7:52:38 GMT -5
Seiner was badly hurt and glared at what appeared to be the dead heartless. Then he noticed that heartless burst when defeated. At that moment Zack was grabbed Steiner noticed and moved to help.
Quickly Zack and the woman vanished into the floor and Steiner hurriedly looked around finally locating them in the air, as Zack fell to the floor after the woman. Steiner realised he would be no use unless Zack could move the fight a little closer.
As Zack finally landed he hit the floor on hands and knees. Then a black aura began to surround him and he launched at the heartless in a flurry of attacks.
The final attack sent the heartless flying towards Steiner. This was what the knight was waiting for. He lifted his sword and a flame ensnared the blade. Then Stiener dashed forward and brought the blade down on the womans head heavily as the fire exploded. Then he retreated back alittle to be out of reach incase the woman had another trick.
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Hadria
Heartless/Nobody
[M:75]
Maeror est meus extasis!
Posts: 67
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Post by Hadria on Aug 12, 2011 10:41:28 GMT -5
OOC: My apologies, when I read it that’s kind of how I envisioned it since I think it was written somewhere that your blade was an inch from the ground or something? Either way, I do apologize for describing the attack incorrectly. IC: When Hadria had taken the few steps away from her opponent, a moment before he would unleash another devastating barrage of attacks, she had made sure to take note of her current situation. Her eyes traveled over quickly to the knight to take a closer look at him and examine his current state. As it was, his involvement in this battle seemed like it would be non-existent at this point, her attack having ripped him to shreds quite thoroughly. At the very least, even if he did get the strength to move, she’d notice him coming a mile away before he got around anywhere to deal any damage and at that point she’d simply adopt a hit and run strategy. That being the case, if Zack wanted to pull off another combo attack like earlier than he would certainly attempt to hit Hadria over to the man, something that he could easily pull off with that enormous blade. This deduction was further reinforced by the fact that Zack was weakened by the loss of blood, his stamina surely having been depleted quite thoroughly. To finish off the Heartless himself would be a difficult task so why not do a combo attack with Steiner once more? With that in mind, she decided would unveil the grand finale she had planned earlier very soon when the timing was just right. It was a shame that the knight would be able to join the festivities and be annihilated along with Zack, but getting both of them at this point was rather unlikely and she’d have to take what she could get. With all that in mind, she would take a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she began to focus and await the ex-SOLIDER’s next move, one that she was certain wouldn’t disappoint. And that it wouldn’t for as he slowly rose to his feet, a peculiar mist would surround him, its smell reeking of darkness. His eyes were glazed over as he looked over toward the Heartless, his eyes piercing through her as if not even actually concerned with her in the slightest. Those eyes were surprising to see coming from the black-haired swordsman, the look of a dead man that intrigued Hadria to no end. He was giving into darkness to provide him a momentary second wind, his unnecessary thoughts surely cast away with nothing more than the death of the Heartless in mind. Yes it was quite evident he wanted nothing more than her death at this point and the excitement was unbearable. Her body begun to flail about as a shiver went down her spine as the first blow from behind hit. He had disappeared suddenly but at the very moment Hadria cared little for it she was lost in her own world. Blow after blow would come, some being intercepted by Hadria’s flailing of her sword but quite a few still hitting home. Her blood stained the ground beneath them as blow after blow struck, the Heartless’ distinct laughter roaring and filling up the vicinity. She was enjoying every moment of these chicken scratches she received but like anything else knew it would come to an end soon. Yes it would end with a final powerful strike aimed at her back, one that would surely send her flying into Steiner’s open arms… if she sat there doing nothing. No while she was seemingly incapable of any coherent thought as hysteria took over, her mind still remained a firm grasp on reality. She didn’t want to be defeated by that knight that stood directly in front of her, seemingly biding his time until Zack threw Hadria over for the final blow. He was a waste of space on this battlefield, a disappointment that she wouldn’t dare take a single strike from ever again. No her body was for the ex-SOLIDER alone… if she were to die it would be by his blade alone. With that said, as the combo would near its end, Hadria would take the rest of the blows willingly but plant her sword firmly in the ground as she clenched it tightly and fell to one knee. The final attack form Zack’s technique would strike her from behind, the force pushing her deep into the ground as she gritted her teeth. The blade cleaved through her back, leaving a deep wound that Hadria would cherish dearly after the battle. It was a gift from this powerful swordsman, one that would probably never heal completely and leave a scar unlike any other. That was for the future though; the more pressing matter was that she had taken a great amount of damage that had been nearly on par with his last move. The blood she had drained from him was steadily dripping from the slashes scattered across her body and would have the same effect on her as they did on Zack soon enough. Yet it wouldn’t be soon enough to make a difference for the former SOLIDER, and would be something he deeply regretted doing, “If you’re quite done now I believe I am going to impart a parting gift for you as well… Cruentus Onis,” she would whisper lightly for the man to hear, that sultry tone she only used for him escaping her lips. Suddenly, Hadria would stand up as her blade was held high above her head, the blade beginning to twirl as she spun it rapidly between her fingers. The blood that stained the battlefield around them would gather up around her, spiraling around her and reaching up to ten feet before beginning to spread out. Considering the proximity in which these two were, Hadria had little doubt in her mind that she’d hit her target even in this desolate area. Furthermore, he was still weak regardless of that sudden burst of strength; he wouldn’t be teleporting around again anytime soon. Regardless, the tornado of blood would then spread out, threatening to devour anything that it touched… and that really meant anything. Indeed, the grand plan while perhaps not as grandiose as Hadria would have originally hoped was that upon activating this technique the scattered keyblades around them would be swept up in the tornado of blood. It was a simple plan really; one that would have been much harder to pull off had her technique been known beforehand but alas that wasn’t the case. Regardless, the technique was already devastating to those caught in it, several needles of blood stabbing them from all angles and tearing through their flesh but to have heavy pieces of metal clanking and banking against your entire body at high speeds on top of that? It would be nothing short of a brutal execution for the former SOLIDER if caught and while she lamented not dragging the knight along for the ride, it was only a minor setback. Indeed this fight was as good as won but even so the Heartless knew better than to believe in anything 100% and would ready herself for whatever came next… wasn’t like she could move all that well anyway. “I took more damage than I thought… although it was more than worth it,” she would whisper silently as she waited for whatever came next, her blood soaking into the dirt beneath her. It was disappointing but she would need to catch her breath before she could end both of their lives painfully… and slowly. OOC: Cruentus Adficio: 100 + 50% = 100% (heavy damage taken wasted) 100 – 100% = 0% (Cruentus Onis used) Cruentus Acus: Cooldown over
Cruentus Orbis: 1 Post Cooldown Left Cruentus Epotus: 3 Post Cooldown Left Cruentus Onis: 3 Post Cooldown Start Corridors of Darkness: 1 Post Cooldown Left
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Post by dameon on Aug 12, 2011 15:24:40 GMT -5
As Zack held fast to his weapon, he grimaced at the current situation. He was woozy, his mouth filled with the stale taste of darkness. It felt like he'd just been through an all night binge and prayed to the porcelain god for hours, but really, it had all happened in a matter of moments. The blows that were unleashed hit their mark, and although they hadn't been done by Zack directly, it was something that he still felt satisfied with. That final blow, however, that had been planned to send the wench flying towards Steiner's blade, had instead been altered to simply slam the thing into the ground face first.
Not exactly what the ex-SOLDIER had in mind, but the fact that it still looked painful was good enough for him. Obviously not a normal enemy, Zack began to wonder just how much these attacks were actually doing, and felt that things would be going a lot smoother if the pair of Swordsmen weren't separated so much. His train of thought derailed as he took a woozy step climbing to his feet. The fatigue was wearing off, slowly but surely, although Zack really wished he could have a few cookies right now to get the sugar in his system to pump his blood back up.
“If you’re quite done now I believe I am going to impart a parting gift for you as well… Cruentus Onis,”
The comment shook him from his dreams and wishes for sugary baked goods, and back to the field of battle. The almost affectionate tone would normally have made the ex-SOLDIER wretch, but at this point, it just made him mildly annoyed. No, the main focus of his attention was now on the next 'blood technique' this thing was playing through. It was like some regurgitated ribbon dance, with a spiral of what Zack could only assume was his own blood mixed with it's, an idea that, by this point, bothered Zack very little. He'd just need a very hot shower when this was all over.
No, what concerned him was the effect this spiral was having on the terrain, and it's intention upon the two swordsmen, although it seemed to be mainly his problem at the moment, as Steiner was still a fair distance away. But the raven haired man had no intention of becoming sliced like so much cheese, and prepared a maneuver he'd hoped to save for another time. As Zack clenched his fist, and an image filled his mind, he breathed in deeply and held that breath tight in his chest. As the blades of red energy and flailing weapons spun through the air, coming towards him at speeds obviously meant to rend flesh from bone, there was a sudden boom in the atmosphere.
Far above, in the upper atmosphere of the clouds, the mood of the sky changed. What was once a pale clay dust cover, with flecks of red from the Heartless' blood stain attacks, was now an ethereal blue. That boom was followed by a second, and the glow grew to suddenly over take all other colors on the landscape. It burned through the cloud cover, and spiraled towards the battlefield like a meteor, but much larger than the ones Zack had unleashed from his weapon earlier. No, this one was a true meteor, large enough to level cities, to crush mountains, and that burning blue fire that chased it trailed behind it as if it were the tail of a great, wild serpent. As it grew closer, in the burning center of the azure flames, one could kiss a form, but a form that was spinning so fast, so wildly that it was impossible to kiss it's shape at this moment.
What was inside the flame mattered little, the outcome would be the same, the great blazing form swooped down with the speed and force of a natural disaster and when it reached the ground, a massive wave shot out in all directions. Dirt, stone, dust, blood, keyblades, anyone unfortunate enough to be unprepared for the impact, was sent flying into the air. In the midst of the landing zone stood royalty, a dragon king, Bahamut. As Zack breathed easier, he was somewhat relieved that the summon didn't crash down on his head. Obviously the creature was tied to the ex-SOLDIER's will, but even so, there was always that split second of doubt on if he would be the first person to be crushed by his own summon's very entrance.
As the remaining keyblades and blood pikes lashed out towards Zack, the great beast shielded it's master with it's armored form, weapons bouncing off of it's other worldly hide like pebbles being spat at a boulder. As the storm continued to rage, the great beast's very presence seemed to alter the atmosphere, and that same ethereal blue fire that once coated the Dragon King now ran out in all directions, and then upwards around the battlefield, through the sky around the graveyard. Crisscrossing like fractures in a glass dome, it encompassed the area around all three combatants until, finally, after the flames met at the very crest of the dome, it shattered, raining glowing white light down upon the field in a beautiful, blinding display of pure, white radiance.
It was then that Zack grasped hold of the Dragon's leg with one arm, and set his boots on the top of the creature's large foot. The battlefield was now akin to a beautiful starry night, bright enough to see as clearly as day. The great dragon began to beat it's massive wings as it lifted back into the air, the blasts of wind that erupted from this very movement began to throw the Keyblades that were being cast towards it away like they were leaves caught in a breeze. Even the blades that had not been caught in the bloody twister began to shake at the powerful gusts, and Zack held fast as the great beast cut across the battlefield, the jet stream in it's wake parting the air, and the ground like waves, before letting the terrain and the keyblades flood back in it's wake.
As the great dragon hovered over where Steiner stood, Zack waved the older knight up. "Get on old man. You've been spending enough time on the sidelines. Let's finish this....thing." When his team mate had secured himself, Zack maneuvered the great Dragon upwards, and then, taking advantage of the keyblades that the beast's very flight had torn free, took great pleasure in an ironic mirroring of Hadria's own maneuver. Monstrous wings began to beat like tidal waves against the shore, the wind itself was sharp and fast enough to burn away at the flesh like a sand storm with the dust it flung, but that wasn't the game.
The Keyblades that were scattered around, loose, on the dirt began to skip like stones on the water, sending sparks clashing about as they struck rock, and each other, then the blades that were sunk into the earth began to do the same, tearing themselves free, rolling about in a maelstrom of masterless weapons, and with a keen adjustment of the downdraft, those weapons began to rain down upon Hadria as if the spirit of each Keyblade's once and former wielder were intent on striking down the Heartless for it's intrusion.
((Bahamut: Exists for 3 posts or until Mega Flare is used, Summon has a four post CD))
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Post by jordandahedgy on Aug 14, 2011 20:29:37 GMT -5
Steiner was barely taking in the fight. The wounds that covered his body were really causing problems.The fire blade technique he was going to use was never needed as the woman was smashed into the ground and not over to Steiner.
Then the knight saw a summon descend from the heavens. "Bahamut" the knight said hoping it had been Zack who summoned it. The beast sheltered Zack then flew into the air and over to Steiner. Zack was sat on his foot.
"Get on old man . You've been spending too much time on the sidelines. Lets finish this . . . thing." Zack said. Steiner smiled and got on too tired to have an attitude.
The great dragon flapped its wig and flew up creating a whirlwind with the beating of its wings. Steiner stepped forward and completed his Fire Sword technique. The whirlwind catching on fire because of it. "To victory!!!" Steiner yelled a call to lift the spirits of any injured allies.
-------------------------------------------------------- Fire sword :cooldown 1 turn Charge: duration one post, cooldown 2 turns
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Hadria
Heartless/Nobody
[M:75]
Maeror est meus extasis!
Posts: 67
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Post by Hadria on Aug 15, 2011 12:10:41 GMT -5
“…bummer,” the Heartless commented quietly as the mighty creature Bahumat graced the battlefield. While she knew it was pointless to continue her attack in hopes of inflicting any damage, the dragon sure to protect its master quite well with its armored body, it would buy her time if nothing else. Yes time was what she needed, time to recover a tad from the damage inflicted upon her, and time to rethink her strategy to include a large dragon. Needless to say, she hadn’t expected the ex-SOLIDER to summon this giant beast, a technique that didn’t seem to suit a man with such an enormous blade. No he had seemed to be the kind of man who got his own hands dirty and didn’t rely on others to get the job done. It was a bit disheartening for the Heartless, having enjoyed their little one on one battle that she had managed to create the distance required to have such a bout. Regardless, she was at a disadvantage now with this new variable added to this epic battle, an open space making her an easy target for said variable. ‘It’s quite unfortunate I am not in the jungle like I was when I faced that other beast,’ she thought, recollecting on a previous battle. While the experience wouldn’t help her as much as she would have hoped, it did provide her two bits of detail that were important when dealing with this type of beast. The first one was that attacking it was a rather fruitless endeavor, one that only a fool would attempt. To inflict any serious damage on the beast would require an extremely powerful technique to be used and even if it landed, the summon would leave the battlefield sooner or later. Not only that, but Hadria had only one move that could severely harm the beast and it wasn’t ready to be used just yet. Luckily enough, this knowledge would still be unknown to her opponents and a bluff could work out well in this situation, “HA! This is rich you really think that beast will do anything? All you’re doing is providing me something else to toy with and slay,” she would bluff, her tone full of the confidence and the sultriness it had displayed thus far. She wasn’t sure if it would work or not, but considering that the ex-SOLIDER’s mind was in a haze and not in the best shape to attempt to call out a bluff, she was fairly sure her chances were high. Furthermore, with the loud clanking of the keyblades hitting against the dragon’s metallic like skin, the knight overhearing the conversation was unlikely as all hell. Regardless, her technique would end now, the dragon taking flight with its master and the massive gusts of wind keeping Hadria pinned down for the moment as she made no real attempt to pursue the target. No she was taking her time to strategize, time that was greatly appreciated since she had only encountered a summoned beast once before and under different circumstances which reminded her of that second keen detail… the devastating energy attacks. It was an assumption based on nothing more than circumstantial evidence, but the Heartless was willing to bet her life that this monster would shoot some type of energy or breathe attack out of its mouth. After all, dragons were typically characterized in stories as having such abilities and if the monster was anything like the one she had encountered a while back, then that would remain a constant. Surely attacking with its claws would be one route but it was likely that he’d attack with some sort of technique that even she wouldn’t be able to endure. And thus the question became, what was the best course of action in this situation? She could flee and live to fight another day but retreat wasn’t her style unless absolutely necessary. While it was a pleasant looking option at this stage of the battle, it was still the Heartless’ firm belief that she could win this battle. Getting to higher ground was also a viable option, which would remove her from the keys littered across the graveyard and open up her methods of attack. Yet again though this didn’t really suit her, knowing quite well that even if the keyblades weren’t present that taking higher ground on one of the few pillars of earth that towered above her from the distance, would merely make her a sitting duck. So if neither of those two options worked what could she do aside from move forward? Yes that thought made her smile lightly, the audaciousness of it giving her chills down her spine. She was going to rush toward the beast that could easily tear her apart; an action so seemingly ludicrous that it probably wouldn’t even occur to most people… but then again Hadria wasn’t most people. With her battle plan now ready, her opponents making the mistake of allowing her time to ponder on the situation, she would watch as the dragon came back now with the knight that had been otherwise incompetent throughout the ordeal. She would yawn lazily as they came back, once again displaying that confidence, or perhaps arrogance, that whatever actions they took she would strike them down regardless. Her right arm began to swing around, her blade cutting through the air as she loosened up and attempted to undermine the damage she had received. That, along with a smile, would be the last thing the pair saw before the dust began to fly around wildly along with the keyblades. The Heartless quickly crouched down, limiting the area of which the keyblades could strike her at and closed her eyes. While perhaps not planned, the gust of winds being produced by the dragon’s powerful wings was kicking up dust that would blind her severely if she didn’t close her eyes. Now all combatants were blinded from each other, the attack being a double edged sword, even more so as the dust was somehow lit aflame. Normally, the Heartless would question how such a thing worked, even with the fire being magical but paid little attention to the ridiculousness of the situation. No she only focused on pushing forward, adopting her strange running stance as she sprinted forward. The keyblades were passing by, skimming her at best as the flames while hot did little damage to the Heartless. They were negligible at the moment and with each step closer the Heartless’ blood pumped faster… and also left a trail behind her. Indeed, a trail of blood followed her steps and while irrelevant for the moment since it was out of sight and out of reach, did signify something of far greater importance… open wounds. Yes all over Hadria’s body were open wounds, left from Zack’s earlier attack, the big one on her back of particular significance. She would use all these wounds to her advantage for as she got underneath the dragon after her mad dash, she would quickly pivot on her foot, spinning around before crouching down to jump. The dragon had not gotten particularly high in the air when it did its attack, nor was jumping high much of a problem for the Heartless in question. Needless to say, the height of her jump would take her to the mid-point of the dragon’s massive tail that curved into its stomach. When her back touched against it, she would instantly activate Cruentus Acus to do two things. First, by using the attack when touching against the tail, the needles from her back which would be rather large and sharp thanks to the huge wound left by Zack and pierce even this mighty dragons’ skin. While the question of how deep they would go in was present in the Heartless’ mind, she was sure it would be enough to keep her secure her in place for the time being. The second thing worth noting about that use of the ability is that since Hadria had open wounds all over her body, her body would be similar to a porcupine and with the needles stretching out about four feet in length; it was likely to hit the two warriors as well if not deter an immediate counter. If her plan worked out as she hoped and was secured in place, after the needles in front of her fell (while the ones behind her remained since they couldn’t fall to the ground when lodged into place unless willed to dissipate otherwise), her right arm would make a wide swing that would allow her katana to cut the arms of both warriors that held tightly to the dragon’s legs. It would be rather unfortunate for them, but due to their current positions they had little chance of avoiding the feeling of cold steel tearing through their flesh unless they wished to fall into the storm of fire down below. Well, it would probably happen regardless, holding a grip as your arm was cut into deeply being rather difficult, even more so when it was cut twice. Indeed, the Heartless would quickly twist her arm to slice at their arms twice if all went well, and if the first incision didn’t work, then surely the second one would and cause them to fall to the ground. Regardless of what did and didn’t work, after doubling back with her slash the Heartless would remain ready for whatever came next. OOC: Cruentus Adficio: 0 + 33% = 33% (from medium damage taken) 33% + Z% = Y% (waiting for hit confirmation on Zack) Y% + S% = N% (waiting for hit confirmation on Steiner) Cruentus Orbis: Cooldown finished Corridors of Darkness: Cooldown Finished Cruentus Acus: 2 post cooldown start Cruentus Onis: 2 post cooldown Cruentus Epotus: 2 post cooldown
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Post by dameon on Aug 16, 2011 21:06:52 GMT -5
As the air beneath them began to rip and tear at the false human below them, there was a moment of calm. But it was the type of calm, no pun intended, that came during the eye of the storm, and it went against every trained impulse in the ex-SOLDIER's mind, but the loss of blood was slowly winning against his better judgement. As he struggled to keep his grip on his perch beneath the mass of the great Dragon King, he squinted through the dust and sweat that dripped into his eyes. He couldn't kiss the disgusting fiend that the two swordsman had been fighting, it had ducked low and Zack wouldn't be surprised if it was now clawing it's way below the dirt like a worm. Actually, he sort of liked that thought, comparing the S&M addicted freak show to a limbless Night Crawler.
Speaking of grubs, the one in question was making an attempt to throw the two warriors off of their game, causing Zack to rub at his watering eyes in an attempt to see where the voice was coming from, futile as it was. “HA! This is rich you really think that beast will do anything? All you’re doing is providing me something else to toy with and slay,” While he didn't believe, for a moment, that she honestly thought...that it honestly thought that it would be such a frivolous achievement to kill, what was by all rights, a demi-god, there was the chance that the Heartless was so insane, or mindless, that the idea seemed quite plausible. Insanity was one of the larger reasons people fought to the death, but it wasn't his, and he doubted it was Steiner's either.
But it wasn't the creature's mental state that had Zack concerned, it was the silence that followed the boast. Did it simply pull back, using that cry to throw the two men and their 'back up' off their games, recovering or running away? No. He wasn't that lucky, not since the day he fell through the roof of the church had his luck really been on that same streak. There was something else, something more aggressive, being planned, but with his body becoming less and less responsive to Zack's commands, and his vision nearly clouded from his own fatigue mixed with sweat, dust and tears, he was practically disabled, but even in this state, he could kiss the slightest bits of alien movement in the distance below, thanks to his conditioning and training.
Just as he moved to command the great beast to use it's Mega Flare to tear through the storm and try to turn the Heartless into ash, a move that was risky at such close range when the target was more maneuverable than Bahamut, his ears began to ring.
"To victory!!!"
The cry wasn't special, it was something Zack had heard cried a thousand times before, by those at his side, and opposing him. A cry meant to urge the masses forward, most often the grunts that would be thrown into the maw of the enemy as meat shields, but for some reason Steiner's cry was different. The deep bellow of the knight caused a chain reaction in Zack. A heat, as if a fire had been lit in his belly, and that fire exploded in a flare that began to fill each of his limbs with that same heat until it felt like he was ready to explode, and in that moment, even without looking, Zack somehow knew that he had someone watching his back that he could trust, and if he didn't know it was Steiner, he wouldn't be surprised to look back and see his former mentor watching over him.
As Zack felt the strength momentarily rush to his limbs, he held his sword out towards Steiner, handle first, so the older swordsman could grasp it once he sheathed his own weapon. "Hold this for a second." And with those words leaving his lips, and the weapon leaving his grasp, Zack was able to spot Hadria leaping upwards in a maneuver made to impale more of those freakish blood curdled blades into the flesh of Zack's guardian. The great beast roared out more in rage at such an act of disrespect than genuine pain, and it took Zack's full concentration to catch himself rather than fall.
But even as Hadria made the maneuver that was designed to hack at both Zack and Steiner, a brief image of a flower girl with the face of an angel flashed through the raven haired man's mind. As Hadria's blade came up for what was most certainly a blow intended to be fatal, or at the very least, crippling, the swing was halted at arms length. Literally, at arms length.
Still secured on the foot of Bahamut, Zack's body seemed to have suddenly tanned, but not just his skin, his clothing, his hair, his eyes all had a glow, a golden glow. The wounds that had once covered his body, bruises, cuts, scrapes and all others, began to fade away like sand being blown from a marble statue, and the ex-SOLDIER clutched the blade in his hand as if he was holding something as harmless as a stick. Eyes narrowed on Hadria, who's form now mirrored that of a sea urchin rather than a worm, he drew his right hand back, balled into a fist, and thrust it forward with all of his might. The spines that would have normally pierced the ex-SOLDIER's flesh now, instead, glanced off of his flesh like he was wearing diamond hard armor.
The impact of the fist would come with the same level of impervious and unforgiving force when it swung towards the creature's temple. The fact that Zack clutched it's weapon and that the spines thrusting out from it's back were wedged into the Bahamut's tail would most likely limit any maneuverability Hadria had at this angle, so Zack had unloaded all of his renewed strength, along with the new stores of power that Steiner's cry had given him, into that blow. Even if Zack's punch had missed, he had no intention of leaving the attack at that, and, again, keeping hold of that blade, he clamped one hand onto the bloody, spiny throat, throwing his weight into a lunge, and moved to drag Hadria down to the ground with him.
As the two twisted in mid air, he kept that hand clamped about the Heartless' throat, the radiating golden glow holding strong as they fell, and twisting his body, moved to have Hadria absorb the brunt of the impact as the crashed to the ground. However much the impact should have stunned Zack, he seemed immune, and rolled out of the impact crater at speeds even faster than he would have at the beginning of the encounter. As he regained his footing, he lunged forward again, images of Angeal running through his mind, and inspiring words only magnified by Steiner's words that had, still in ways unknown to Zack, caused the ex-SOLDIER to feel stronger, and faster than he ever had before.
"Prove your honor to me."
The words escaped Zack's lips without him even realizing it, he wasn't sure if he actually expected Hadria to hear him, or even HAVE any sort of honor, but the words, so powerful in his mind, had been voiced without trying. The energy of Angeal's inspiration began to run through him, similar to the fire he felt in his belly from Steiner's words, but not exactly the same. Where Steiner's had been fire, Angeal's was more like electricity, and with the speed of lightning, Zack rushed towards his opponent. His body's golden glow now took on an even brighter aura, the layered power of Steiner's words, Aerith's memory and Angeal's inspiration combined into a deadly outpouring of power and force that had Zack moving faster and hitting harder than even he'd thought possible.
He brought Hadria up from the ground first with a strong, rising kick, a blow that would strike Hadria in the side or stomach if the Heartless was still laying on the ground, and once his opponent was at a proper level, he began to unload. His SOLDIER training had focused a great deal on hand to hand combat, and it was now that this became evident. He struck out with strong, tight strikes in a mix of open and closed fists. Hitting the creature multiple times in the chest, stomach and collar bone, then he began to put his heavy leather boots to good use, hitting with both the steel toe and the reinforced heel. With his elbow he struck the urchin like thing across the jaw,and followed up with a powerful hook to the temple that he had tried to strike with his first blow.
Then, when the creature was sent far enough away from the force of his blow, he shot forward like a comet, similar in style to how he had lunged at it with his sword earlier in their fight, but at a greater speed, and thrust both fists into the monster's midsection, but in such a way that he would be able to twist and jettison past, and as the air of his trail followed him, it seemed to ignite both the air and the ground in his path, leaving a powerful, and devastating trail of explosions in the wake of his final maneuver.
It was then, finally, that Zack's aura began to fade, leaving him like a swarm of fireflies that had finally finished their work. While Zack's invulnerability, as well as his speed and strength buffs, both from his dual techniques and Steiner's words had faded, his injuries had been wiped clean and his stamina restored, although, turning back to Hadria, he doubted the Heartless was feeling so lucky.
((Healing Wave: This Limit Break is Zack's only ability that allows him to heal himself without use of outside elements, such as spells or items. Sinking his sword into the earth, Zack calls upon the memories of Aerith, and the flower filled church in the slums. With a short prayer, healing energies wash over him and heal him from non-fatal wounds, removes status ailments and grants 1 post of invulnerability. Zack must be unarmed when using this spell. Cannot be used within 8 posts of any abilities that have a Darkness attribute. (Cooldown: 6 posts)
Rush Assault: A unique limit break in Zack's arsenal, it engages through memories of his once and former mentor Angeal. In honor of Angeal, Zack sheaths his blade and engages the enemy in hand to hand combat. Highlighted in a radiant golden glow, Zack dashes towards the target and unloads a high speed volley of punches, and kicks (and if there are two or more targets, he darts between them at high speeds with his blows) before breaking off and, focusing the golden aura into his fists, launches a final attack where he collides with the target in a blinding explosion. This attack is blunt and uses energy, making it less effective against targets with heavy armor or defensive attributes like spikes or flames. (Cooldown: Two Posts.)
Combining the invulnerability of Aerith's healing, the weakness against spikes of Zack's Rush Assault has been negated. This attack was also increased in offensive power by Steiner's Shout ability.
*Note: After checking with Vincent, the fact that Zack's Hero Rush does not have a Darkness element to it, Aerith's Healing Wave was allowed. The 'Darkness' that had radiated off of Zack during his use of that attack was deemed more of a 'graphical' effect than an attack element.))
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Post by jordandahedgy on Aug 17, 2011 11:19:52 GMT -5
Steiner clung onto Bahamut as his last lifeline he knew if he was caught alone again he was in trouble. Then Zack thrust is sword towards Steiner. "Hold this for a second." the Ex-SOLDIER told Steiner. The knight nodded and sheathed his own sword and taking the heavier Bustersword and almost stumbled forward a step from the weight. Said side step managed to stop Steiner geting hit with a spine that was aproching him.
"How did Zack use this thing?" the knight thought to himself as Zack launched at the heartless woman with renewed strength. To Steiner chuckled a little to himself as Zack unleashed hit after hit on the heartless. then as his barrage ended Steiner realised that Zack woulc probly want his sword back at some point.
He deliberated for a moment then held the sword pointing forward as he jumped of off bahamut's foot. steiner pointed the sword down at the womans head and used gravity to strike the sword at her then slashed heavily at her arm as Power break was activaed.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire sword: Ready to be used Charge: 1 post cooldown Powerbreak: Steiner attacks and attempts to hurts an opponents arm lowering the damage they can do to him. [Lasts 3 turns. cool down: once per battle]
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Hadria
Heartless/Nobody
[M:75]
Maeror est meus extasis!
Posts: 67
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Post by Hadria on Aug 19, 2011 11:16:26 GMT -5
As Hadria went to slash out the arms of the two warriors, she couldn’t help but notice something odd about the ex-SOLIDER and that being he was more… tan? It was quite peculiar but she had thought nothing of it and had continued her attack anyway but soon learned the significance of this change in skin tone. Without any fear, the black-haired man grabbed her katana and gripped it tightly, a grip that even she would have trouble against getting free from. Yes the mako-infused ex-SOLIDER was rather strong, probably as strong as the Heartless in question… physically anyway. Regardless, he would then clench his free fist tightly, throwing a punch that meant to hit the Heartless’ temple. Despite her rather limited movement, Hadria could still move her head if necessary and did as such, blocking the punch with her forehead. It slammed against her skull, a punch so powerful that she was almost certain she’d have a concussion to deal with after this battle but while heavy, did little to rattle her brain. Indeed, the skull was made to protect the brain after all, and by meeting the force with said skull, she had limited the effectiveness of the blow severely. While it would have been convenient if the ex-SOLIDER’s hand had been broken from the impact, she knew it wasn’t very likely if he was able to catch her blade without even being cut. No at this moment she was invulnerable for whatever reason and thus would probably be reckless with how he followed up… and that he was. The ex-SOLIDER would be quick to lunge at the Heartless, attempting to grab her neck and choke her and presumably use his weight along with gravity to pull her down back to the ground. Unfortunately for him, Hadria had other plans and would quickly bring up both her knees to her stomach, kicking him in the chest as hard as she could. Needless to say, the blow wouldn’t do any damage but damage wasn’t what Hadria wanted to do. No, she wanted to separate the two once more and what better way than to kick the one that had been foolish enough to let go of the giant dragon’s leg? Yes it was a reckless maneuver and, with his invulnerability, it would have been a much better idea to simply continue punching her without remorse. Regardless, this kick to the chest would also serve another purpose… it would force his grip off her blade. Even if he wasn’t getting cut by the blade that he gripped so firmly, there was no chance that the grip of one hand would hold when Hadria used both her legs to kick him away. No, the only possible result would be that his grip would slip off the blade as he was sent several feet away and plummeted to the ground, albeit without any damage to himself. But while he wouldn’t take any damage from the little exchange, one man remained glued to the dragon’s leg… Steiner. Indeed, the knight was still perched on the dragon’s leg and it was extremely unlikely he’d let go, the impact from the fall surely something he wouldn’t want to take with as many wounds as he already had, a fact in favor to the Heartless. Another advantage the Heartless had (aside from being able to avoid nearly any attack the dragon might have prepared for her) was that Steiner was now holding Zack’s blade, something the knight was visibly having problems with wielding one handed. While Zack had a mako-infused body, the knight didn’t and wasn’t blessed with the same super-human strength and in other words… was a sitting duck. Hadria would quickly go back to the plan she had earlier, to slash against the knight’s arm to make him fall but with a little modification. This time instead of going for precise incisions, she would swing her blade about wildly, hitting both the summoned beast and Steiner from all sorts of angles. By doing so, even if Steiner had managed to use the blade to block the arm that gripped against the dragon, she could quickly cut the hand that he wielded the sword with and force him to drop it. From there she could proceed to cut the gripping arm anyway and allow him to fall to the ground, gravity surely being a pain in the arse that the ex-SOLIDER down below had been recently reminded of. Indeed and if that strategy worked out as planned, the Heartless would be in an advantageous position again, despite her grievous injures. Yes, she was quite injured and was now beginning to feel light-headed from her own blood loss. While the effect wouldn’t be as debilitating as it had been for the ex-SOLIDER, Hadria knew she had lost about two to three pints of blood at this point. Granted she had experienced it many times before, one never truly got used to the feeling of losing so much blood, even if they were a Heartless. It was a self-destructive power to have, one that allowed for few mistakes when battling and a constant grasp of both your condition and your opponent’s. To use such an ability required insight, cunning and firm concentration but such qualities only lasted so long before they began to falter… and they would at a very inconvenient time. Suddenly, the needles that held Hadria up would go limp, releasing the grip that had secured her to the dragon. Not even aware if her attack worked, she would fall to the ground, instinctively slapping the ground to negate some of the impact and rolling backward. She would struggle to pick herself up to one knee, panting heavily as one hand held her head and the other was planted firmly against her raised knee. While well thought-out, her previous plan had been very taxing for her body even with that interval of rest provided before it. The blood loss was getting to her and she knew she couldn’t continue to fight that much longer much like her opponents. While Zack had gotten his own second wind recently, the Heartless doubted that it did anything to replenish the blood in his body. Indeed, only a blood transfusion or a technique that drains or speeds up blood production would do that, a type of technique not often developed. While this was true, she certainly didn’t let her guard down for a moment. The knight, on the other hand, would be in even worse shape (even more so if hit successfully by the earlier attack), his blood steadily pouring out and having yet to use any of his own healing techniques. He would have lost a significant amount of blood as well at this point, his stamina depleting rapidly and his thoughts hazy at best. With that noted, it was likely that whatever attacks came next would probably bring an end to this battle, surely the best the two had in store saved for last. “I won’t lose… not yet,” she mumbled to herself as she raised herself back up, clutching her blade in both hands tightly. She continued to pant heavily as her eyes looked over to the two warriors, wondering what had been the result of her attack and what would come at her next. Whatever it was, the Heartless still had her earlier calculated strategy in mind and would make sure to carry it out and end this battle. Cruentus Adficio: 33 + 33% = 66% (medium damage from punch) 66% + 25% = 91% (from light fall damage) 91% + S% = X% (waiting on hit confirmation Cruentus Acus: 1 post cooldown Cruentus Onis: 1 post cooldown Cruentus Epotus: 1 post cooldown
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