Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2012 16:47:26 GMT -5
Enchanted Dominion has been attacked by Neutral. Neutral Being | Attacking: Mariano [Leader]
----- The Darkness has five days to get a team together to counter this attack or the Neutral will have a claim on the world! Neutral, feel free to post here. Another post will be added when the Darkness gets a Raid Group, or if the Neutral has won the world! Keep an eye out!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2012 22:58:43 GMT -5
A Dark Group of Two has Countered the Attack! Dark Group | Defending: Cloud Strife [Leader]
Ansem, Seeker of Darkness
---- Posting Order: Cloud Strife, Mariano, then Ansem, Seeker of Darkness---- If no winner has been decided by May 29th, then a staff member will review and decide the winner! Remember the Rules!! - [ RULES HERE] Let the Battle Begin!!
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Post by mrstrife on May 1, 2012 7:07:59 GMT -5
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It ends here![ Your little game, it won't go on forever. We'll stop you, end the madness then I'll close the worlds and end the war on my own!] Tagged:[ Mariano; Ansem The Seeker of Darkness] OOC:[ Let's give everyone a show to remember, shall we? Thread Theme: WEAPON Raid]
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Enough is enough!! Like a gargoyle sitting upon the castle, Cloud remained nearly motionless as he overlooked the courtyard from atop one of the towers with his wing tucked against his back. He held Ultima Weapon before him, blade down and against the outer wall of the castle as the wind played with his spiked hair. It’d taken a lot of thought, but he finally decided the path he was going to take. The Masked Man had lied to him about his goal to bring balance to the worlds and end the war between Light and Darkness; he sought only to control them. At first Cloud had considered continuing this noble cause on his own, spreading the Neutral and weakening Light and Darkness to end the war. Sadly though, he realized this feat was impossible. No matter how many worlds he changed, they could be taken back by both sides and brought right back into the war. In fact, the worlds weren’t being taken out of the war at all... They were merely being dragged onto yet another side that wished to take part in the meaningless cycle. So what was he going to do, what could he do? It was impossible to end the war by fighting; something drastic needed to be done in order for the end to be brought about. What though? Cloud’s mind wandered through the various possibilities... He could try reasoning with his allies and friends, using their influence to spread the word of how Light and Darkness needed to coexist and they didn’t need to fight... But that still wouldn’t stop the Darkness from attacking. Many of them yearned for the conflict, thrived in it and there was no way they were going to put an end to it. Returning to the Light wasn’t an option either... He felt completely alone, like there was nothing he could do. Then, his mind wandered back to what Sora had spoken about at Disney Castle: the X-Blade... The special keyblade that Sephiroth was after in order to summon Kingdom Hearts. What for Cloud could hardly guess, but he assumed Sephiroth intended to merge with it and ascend to godhood; the goal he’d been stopped from accomplishing on Gaia by Cloud and the others all those years ago. He’d heard whispers that Kingdom Hearts could be used to close off the worlds again. Of course Cloud would need to either gain a keyblade or find a willing keybearer in order to help him with his goal... But it would be easier than trying to convince countless people to end the meaningless war. Cloud figured that it was the opening of these worlds that was being used in order to start the conflict anew. After all, the Dissidia Wars were over and Gaia had been experiencing a time of peace and prosperity before the Heartless came due to the opening of the worlds to one another. If he could close the worlds again, they could defeat Sephiroth and the others as they had before and return Gaia to the peace it had been experiencing prior to this... To regain the peace they so desired. Still, this would be impossible to accomplish as long as the Masked Man continued his reign of terror among the worlds. He needed to be stopped, as long as no one stood up to him there would be nothing to get in the way of him corrupting all of the worlds for his bidding. Even worse, he would accomplish his goal of capturing all the Princesses of Heart. That was the true reason Cloud was here after all, to get in the way of the Masked Man and prevent him from capturing another Princess of Heart. Cloud didn’t care about the Darkness, he cared about the target laying there. He knew he had little chance alone, but it was better to take on his adversary alone than allow him to go unchallenged. Whatever the Masked Man was planning of them wasn’t good, given the track record of villains who had pursued them, and he needed to be stopped no matter the cost. Maybe defending the Darkness would help Cloud find his place in the world. It was undeniable that it was a powerful force within his heart, and he doubted that it would be much longer before he regained the ability to use the Darkness as he had while under Hades’s spell in Olympus Coliseum. Did that make him evil though? Wasn’t there stories of a keybearer of Darkness that allied with the Light against other powerful villains? He wasn’t quite sure, but it was starting to become apparent to Cloud that he should embrace the Darkness in his heart and take advantage of its power. He’d betrayed the Light, and the Neutral... Was there truly any other choice for him? He could never go back to the Light, and as long as he was careful he could keep the Darkness from corrupting him and turning him into which he most despised... A heartless villain willing to destroy anything for its goals, like Sephiroth. So here Cloud sat, keeping an eye over the castle. He didn’t care that he’d heard cries of ‘monster’ and ‘demon’ as he flew overhead the past few days keeping a lookout for the enemy. He knew he would come here eventually; he just needed to be patient and wait. Genesis and the others could do the hunt on their own, by splitting up into groups and using different tactics they were more likely to find him. All the One Winged Demon had to do was wait for his adversary.
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Mariano
Neutral
[M:450]
"The world must have balance. That includes both the Light and the Darkness."
Posts: 30
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Post by Mariano on May 2, 2012 11:31:38 GMT -5
"So, you've come for the princess, have you?"The yelling voice came from the bridge that was covered in thorns, underneath a dark overcast sky that was not stormy, but still swelling as if it was about to rain. It was becoming quite cold, the kind of chill that you could feel permeate through clothing, the kind of icy temperature that still sent a shiver up your spine no matter where you were. Gray fog seeped around the bridge, making visibility limited any further than the long bridge to the castle itself; so the swordsman standing so precariously on the roof of the castle could see the masked man make his way slowly with near-silenced footsteps over the large brambles that constricted around the bridge. "Are you sure you should be up there? The rooftops look awfully steep; you wouldn't want to get yourself hurt, if you slipped and fell in this weather, it's an awful long drop down below." he advised almost sincerely, if the tone didn't sound a little patronizing as well. The mysterious man came to a stop after he had steered clear of his last thorny vine, coming to a stop just before the ramp which lead up to the castle's man doors. "Gross... disgusting. These vines don't seem to naturally belong here, as if desperately clinging onto survival... after hiding from the scorching Light for so long. I suppose you brought this Darkness here, villain, in anticipation of waiting for me. Well, the honor's mine... I'm flattered, really." he let on in a sarcastic tone of voice, not really caring if the mercenary had brought the darkness to the world or not. He looked away from the blond for the moment, figuring he could expend it as he would be focused on to reiterate he was the enemy, and glanced with amber eyes over to the obvious balcony where Princess Aurora's room would be. He switched eyes back to the buster basher. "Wouldn't be surprised if you also brought a friend to help you, hmm? Or even so far as to locate her and greedily swallow her heart up to the Darkness itself. Well, no matter." He shrugged, and rolled his shoulders as if warming them up, before he opened up his arms out as if declaring himself an open target. "I'm sorry, but don't think for a moment I'd be fooled you wouldn't be laying in wait for me if you didn't think you weren't protecting the princess. No matter what you'll do, we'll stop your kind, and she'll help us save this universe from the Darkness continuing to wash animosity over these lands with the Light. I'm going to go and get her right now, so come and strike me down, if you think you can stop me. Or... is your heart heavy with doubt and regret, Cloud?"Theme: Villains of a Sort
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Post by cccxlii on May 3, 2012 15:50:02 GMT -5
"If you're really saying that, then you're just as foolish as they are," echoed a voice from a point unseen. "Darkness and Light have never been at war with each other, nor will they ever be. Don't forget that it only takes the smallest of candles to hold back the greatest darkness this universe has to offer, it has been that way from the beginning." Then, in a blink of an eye, he appeared; Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, at the top of the ramp that Mariano stood before. A tall dark-skinned man with white hair, pointed ears, and glowing eyes that hinted at his origins. He continued without pause.
"The war we're experiencing now was brought about by the so-called Warriors of Dark and Light. Perhaps started by the Warriors of Dark, who rightly believed that darkness was supreme, but did not understand Darkness' inherent weakness of Light. Disgusted by Light's apparent victories, they struck back, using their very beings as bastions for Dark, as they invaded the worlds of Light. Alarmed by this supposed break of the natural order; for as I said, the Light usually holds backs Darkness; the Warriors of Light mounted their own counterattack. After the counterattack, Darkness would strike back, ad infinitum."
Ansem shook his head and gestured around him. "You can argue my logic, but it is just as you said, 'these vines don't naturally belong here.' 'Alarmed by this supposed break of the natural order', you mount your counterattack." The Seeker of Darkness quoted himself, and wondered if Mariano understood what he was suggesting. "If what you seek is balance, then you've already failed. You're doing what every fool before you did, and just like them, you'll die if you don't alter your path." Then he started to wonder if Cloud was listening in on this as well.
Mariano was wrong, Cloud hadn't brought Ansem to the battlefield. The Seeker of Darkness had come on his own will, less interested in the battle and more interested in meeting the One Winged Demon himself. He doubted that Cloud had even expected him to appear. So, The Heartless raised his voice and decided to announce his intentions, speaking to Cloud Strife."I've come to assist you, for it is in my best interest to do so. I'm sure you know who I am, but unfortunately, I do not know much about you. Would you be so kind to grant me an audience with you, after this battle is over?"
A shadow silently rose from underneath Ansem, indeed, his shadow. Rising up, it took form, a creature with a jet-black, muscular body; antennae; glowing, yellow eyes; blue veins, and a series of odd bandages. On its face, was a wide, permanent grin. It immediately set about its not so silent task, moving behind The Seeker of Darkness and grabbing ahold of one of the castle's main doors, before pulling as hard as it possibly could. Ansem focused his attention of Mariano. "I suppose the faster we get this over with, the better." The door groaned and creaked from the ever increasing pressure, until finally, with several bone-chilling cracks, the door broke free from its hinges.
Xehanort's Guardian held it high above its head, as if admiring his prize. "Now lets see what your precious 'light' can do." With those final words, the large door was sent sailing towards Mariano. Of course, it would likely miss its target. If anything, it was a simple test of Mariano's abilities. Because, often, even the bravest of warriors, can do nothing but stand in fear as something that massive came hurtling towards them. He wondered at Mariano's reflexes and abilities, Ansem would not make the mistake of underestimating his skills. Throughout the entire battle, he would definitely keep a sharp eye on him, analyzing his every move.
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Post by mrstrife on May 3, 2012 20:51:56 GMT -5
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Guess the Darkness influences us all.[ It doesn't matter though. No matter what you do, even if you think what you're doing is right... I can't let you have the princess. The worlds are depending on me, my definite is better than your possible end.] Tagged:[ Mariano; Ansem The Seeker of Darkness] OOC:[ Raid Theme: WEAPON Raid]
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So the battle begins The Buster Basher caught sight of the ninja(?) as he appeared on the bridge, calling out to Cloud as if he knew what Cloud was here for. Tch, too bad, he didn’t have a clue. He watched as Mariano made his way towards the castle, earning a puzzled look from Cloud. ...Who was this? Why wasn’t the Masked Man coming to claim the princess? Had he sent someone else in his stead, another ‘apprentice’ like he’d been to help carry out his plans? Poor soul was probably as confused as Cloud had been, blinded by the philosophy and hope for a new future to see the truth that lay just beyond his nose. He silently remained atop the castle, turning the sword in his hand so it faced forward towards the Neutral warrior while he slowly rose to his feet. Staring down at him, Cloud remained silent as he was ‘warned’ by whoever this was to be careful so that he didn’t fall. He really didn’t know who he was apparently, and in response Cloud only offered spreading his leathery wing before leaped from his roost to glide towards the bridge. With a flutter of his wings he landed atop one of the thorny branches encircling the bridge, the cold wind playing with his spiked hair as he set his eyes within that of Mariano as he continued. “You’re wrong, I don’t care what happens to the Darkness. I’m keeping the Princess safe from the real threat,” Cloud said quietly, his voice nearly void of emotion. Whoever he was he was cocky, leaving himself completely open to attack as if he could handle anything Cloud had to offer. Cloud just shook his head; at least his heart was in the right place. He wanted to end the war, just like Cloud did, and bring peace to the worlds so they could finally rest from this weary struggle. He probably didn’t grasp the full situation, didn’t understand what was really going on. That was assuming of course he was in league with the Masked Man, a conclusion Cloud realized he’d made all too soon. Regardless whether that was true or the ninja was working on his own, Cloud couldn’t risk anyone getting a hold of Aurora. He knew what the Masked Man was capable of; he couldn’t just let anyone take the princess in case Masked Man hunted them down and took her by force. Something that Cloud had little doubt that Neutral’s Knight could do. He was right about one thing; this world stunk of the Darkness. It almost made Cloud feel sick, even if he was to accept this as his place in the worlds it was unsettling to see such a beautiful world reduced to such a place of despair. This was the nature of the war though, the more worlds the Light controlled the more worlds needed to be controlled by the Darkness. There had to be a balance among the worlds, just like one needed balance within their own heart in order to truly rid itself of the war. He’d accepted that fact, but still that wasn’t why he’d come. This had nothing to do with the world being controlled by either the Light or Darkness, it was about preventing a greater catastrophe than just another fight. “The Masked Man is corrupting the worlds, controlling them for his own selfish desires, not his noble propaganda. Even Light overtaking a corrupted world doesn’t remove the corruption, it has nothing to do with the forces at war. It’s more sinister than that, and he can’t be allowed to get the princess. I’ll keep her safe, now go. I don’t want to you down, there’s no point for this to escalate any further.”Ignoring the final quip from the ninja, Cloud only took his eyes off Mariano when the familiar voice of Ansem echoed from the Darkness around them. Keeping Ultima Weapon firmly in his hand facing the Neutral warrior, he looked over his shoulder as Ansem appeared atop the ramp while he continued his explanation about the war. What... Happened to Ansem? Wasn’t he supposed to be a Heartless obsessed with the Darkness and spreading it amongst the world of Light? Perhaps being beaten by Sora changed him... Still, as he continued to listen what he was saying started to make sense to Cloud. Turning his gaze back towards the Neutral knight, he let Ansem’s words roll over in his mind. The forces of Light and Dark were not at war, they were in balance and this war was only due to beings claiming allegiance to either side using their differences as excuses to fight. No, he was wrong. Cosmos and Chaos sparked this war when they summoned him and the others to fight in the Dissidia Wars, did they not represent Light and Darkness? Wait... They were Deities of Harmony and Discord, maybe... Maybe Ansem was right. Still, it didn’t matter right now. Cloud needed to focus on the task at hand, not ponder at philosophy about what could be true. Just as Cloud began to ponder why Ansem came to his aid, the Heartless answered for him. He came because defending the Darkness was in his best interest, and he wanted to speak to Cloud when it was over. That made more sense to Cloud than Ansem’s sudden change in stance, and he nodded to acknowledge what had been said. It couldn’t hurt to give into his request, especially since he was helping Cloud defend the castle... Thus Aurora from the scheme of the Masked Man. Without warning, Cloud heard the creaking and cracks of the door behind removed from its hinges, an action that made the Imaginary SOLDIER sigh. There was really no need to antagonize their opponent, perhaps he could be reasoned with and sent on his way. Before he had a chance to tell this to Ansem however, the Heartless sent the door sailing towards Mariano. It blew past Cloud from underneath him, on a collision course for the ninja. He narrowed his eyes and growled, sighing as he spread his wing. “Damn,” Cloud lamented, there was no choice but to fight at this point. There was little doubt in Cloud’s mind that he’d be caught in the counterattack, and decided a preemptive strike was best to end this quickly. Grasping Ultima Weapon’s handle firmly with both hands he leapt from the vine and slashed downward at him in quick succession with Double Cut, landing nimbly on the bridge as he held the blade firmly before him. They didn’t need to kill him, just repel him. He’d learn his lesson to back down one way or the other. ---------------------------- Cool Down:Double Cut: One Post Cool Down
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Mariano
Neutral
[M:450]
"The world must have balance. That includes both the Light and the Darkness."
Posts: 30
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Post by Mariano on May 5, 2012 10:48:48 GMT -5
The apprentice stopped for a moment to listen to the voice; to confirm the source of where it came from more than sincerely consider what it's source was saying, his confirmation that Cloud was not alone ringing true. He moved forward for a moment, before the deep masculine voice showed himself; and while Ansem did not pause the apprentice did as he took in his appearance. As if frozen for a moment, but it was unfortunate of Ansem he did not take that opportunity to attack Mariano as he may have been successful in a surprise ambush. Instead, the Seeker of Darkness launched into a oratory, which gave the mysterious man time to recover and compose himself. Why he had halted was unclear; the wind blew coldly to move the garbed clothing of the 'ninja' as Cloud had viewed him as, but if he showed any sign of being affected it was lost in the midst of the speech Ansem was giving.
As Xehanort's Heartless prattled on and on, Mariano folded his arms, his body language beginning to get impatient with the lecture. He tapped his foot slightly, mannerisms such as this as well as his fingers rapping on his arms suggesting he was unimpressed. His amber eyes were narrowed slightly, the only expression of his face to hint he was in disbelief. He looked away from the Human Heartless as he droned on, glancing up at Cloud, anticipating and considering for a moment it may be a distraction. Not to attack; he watched cautiously as Cloud took wing with his one abomination of a demonic wing to fly over him, but not to attack him from above.
However, a pincer movement of a attack from both in front of him and behind him felt imminent. He turned side-on to both men, keeping them both in his peripheral vision, remaining in his spot. His legs felt slightly sore from having stood in one spot for so long, dismissing himself from resting against the stone railing of the bridge to make himself an easier target, although he could still handle whatever trap the mystic knight and the dark shade of a man were plotting against him. As the first failure against Kingdom Hearts finally finished his tirade, was only then that Mariano respectfully spoke, but waiting his turn to speak was the only thing that was respectful about it. "If I am a fool, then you must be the biggest fool of them all; your own words contradict yourself."
He did not turn to Ansem, but continued to explain himself. "You claim Light and Darkness have never been at war, and that is a outright lie in contrast to the fact you, yourself, stated. 'The war we're experiencing now was brought about by the so-called Warriors of Dark and Light. ' Even if that in itself, was the lie, it has been true since the day Light and Darkness have been created, and good and evil have fought against each other. Can you hear yourself? How are you meant to convince me, when you can't even convince yourself of your own point? But, I am beyond convincing. Nice little story; could have done with another round of light verses darkness and a few keyblades. I know what you are insinuating; but your logic is also flawed. I am not attacking this world. I have come to restore it's true balance, and rescue the princess to seek her aid. Not a false balance Light and Darkness bring time and time again, re-aligning the world in their petty wars. No... our blessing will be... permanent and unchangeable, and it will not fail, regardless of anything you or anyone after you can do or say. And you will be the one to fade to darkness if you get in my way."
It was then that Cloud spoke after he had countered Ansem's trivial philosophy, and his amber eyes switched to him, but still keeping the Seeker of Darkness in the corner of his eye. He was about to inquire what Cloud meant by a 'real threat', but soon found out soon enough. "Were you listening, Heartless? What Cloud actually spoke of was true. Even if the Light or the Darkness try to overtake a world, our balance will truly remain as the dominant force. Do you not see how this is the better way, how this would end the constant bloodshed once and for all? If a world can no longer change it's alignment to that of Light or Darkness, giving neither faction a advantage or claim of ownership, but there will be no further need for senseless and endless conflict. No more violence that will cut down innocents in the crossfire, whether you like it or not. No more war, no lives spent, no wasteful agony to the innocent and pure. Only the Heartless and their ilk will remain, and once they are quelled, we will achieve a true utopia across the worlds. Although, you are incorrect about one thing, Cloud."
He didn't have a clue... or did he? Confused, perhaps, but blinded he was not. He shifted his body slightly, turning his head to incline more to the mercenary, but still keeping the dark facsimile of an possessed abomination within his sights. "It is not a corruption. It's a blessing. No longer will the high and low of constant conflict ebb and flow between the self-absorbed forces of Light and Darkness. I know he is doing it for 'selfish reasons' as you claim, but it will still bring about a lasting peace that your friends of the Light could only hope to dream of achieving. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your request, as I'll be protecting the princess from your dark desires, as we will be needing her aid."
As Ansem spoke to Cloud, a loud sneer rose from beneath the fabric masking his face. "And did you hear that in turn, Cloud? The Heartless is here to defend the darkened world in his best interests. Because he knows that if I succeed, his darkness will have one less place to hide within the shadows and spawn more Heartless, one less place he can use the world to launch an attack on neighboring worlds as a vantage point. He does not wish for peace, and perhaps you may no longer either... but what about that of your friends? You cannot trust this Heartless; the void of darkness in his heart cannot let him help himself from lying, manipulating, and ultimately discard you and all you love when he is done with you."
But the time for talk and debating had ended. A shadow rose underneath the manipulator, forming his powerful Heartless behind him. As he Heartless made the first move and began to grapple with the massive doors of the castle, Mariano glanced with a knowing look first at Cloud, then fully turning around to face Ansem. "And the contradiction continues. Your words are poison; you imply I am the one attacking the world when I am here on a peaceful mission to recover the princess, and yet here you are initiating savage brutality to preserve the corrupting Darkness."
And then the muscular Heartless, as predicted in destructive anticipation in the observation of it's actions, lodged the doors at him.
"Wrong move." he uttered.
And then everything began to move in a flash; the wooden castle door was probably wide enough to cover the rooftops of a small house or act as a small boat, and there was not a large bramble close enough to dodge for shelter at the base of the ramp. However, Mariano waved his hand across himself just as the door collided with him... or so it seemed to. With a loud SNAP, the door was instantly sliced in half diagonally, the 'neutral knight' leaping through the large cut he had created. If one hadn't been fast enough to follow his movements, they would not have seen him drawing his keyblade out of the air as the waving gesture he had made, or enough to see the keyblade slice through wood as if a sharp knife through tenderized meat. As he leapt through the cracked wood he had created, Mariano flicked the Nebula Path keyblade in his hand, the keyblade lengthening and transforming into a very long and sharp chain whip. Using Chain Whip, the keybarer used the length to lasso around one piece of door before it could completely fall to the earth from it's momentum being stopped, spinning as the chain released the door fragment's sharpest point as a large wooden projectile reflected straight back at Ansem. At the same time as he spun, he spiraled so the length of his chain whipped the other shard of door behind him, towards Cloud.
Of course, this would more unlikely not injure either of them as a wooden projectile, just as Ansem had tested on him. If anything, it had also been a distraction on Mariano, as he heard Cloud mumble loudly and saw him come from behind as he spun in a assault. The Double Cut chopped like a butcher knife into his body, as Cloud also spun around for the second hit, also striking him down his abdomen and attempting to knock him away. But as the door had sailed towards Cloud just before his assault with the overpowered Ultima Weapon, the neutral keyblade assaulted him directly with his shifting blade, whipping it as he was forced out of his spin to let the length of the whip surprise Cloud in a different direction from below to above in a vertical lash skywards.
Sent flying backwards, his feet hit the ground after gravity pulled him earthwards from his initial jump to cleave the castle doors, turning around as he slid backwards to forwardly face Ansem. With the pain Cloud had given him, he also burrowed the momentum the bat-winged and bat-brained warrior had forced upon him, snapping through Ansem with a more devastating than usual Combination Rush. A keyhole seal for show flashed like lightning above the forgotten Human Heartless before the neutral hero shattered through it, striking down with a vertical slash, hopping back behind Ansem underneath the doorway to keep both stained hearts in his sights.
"Really, Cloud, you couldn't fight on your own? A Heartless, to a keyblader? Like bringing butter to the knife; take my 'light'. I'll leave nothing left of you."
Battle Theme: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmgZdzOhrxw]Power to Strive.[/url]
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Combination Rush A melee physical attack, Marino simply rushes forward with a light blue aura around him, charging through target(s) with his keyblade. If he hits all targets or the one target, he finishes up with a strike which makes a keyhole seal appear between the opponent and the keyblade tip, before unleashing a powerful vertical slash from the opposite direction he passed through from. (Cooldown is two posts.)
Chain Blade: As shown in his picture (Physical Description below), Mariano can for a short period of time, transform his keyblade into a long segmented chain with blades on either end. Using both hands, he uses either end to whip at his enemies powerfully to cut them with the blade and the sharp metal of the whip. (Duration is two posts, cooldown is three posts.)
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Post by cccxlii on May 8, 2012 12:03:27 GMT -5
Ansem listened carefully to Mariano, crossing his arms over his chest. His rants were definitely insightful, but only of the boy's own personality. Mariano proved himself a brash and confident zealot, and The Seeker of Darkness knew the futility of reasoning with such beings, thus why he had made the first attack. Mariano had tried to use this against the Heartless, claiming himself on a peaceful mission, and Ansem, recalling the boy's earlier words of hostility, sincerely doubted this. Despite these things, he still had to give him some credit, it appeared that this boy was a lot stronger than he first realized.
Without much effort he had sliced the massive door in two and sent the pieces flying, the first of which, with a sharp point, was shot towards Ansem, while the larger piece was kicked at Cloud. The small fragment, light and aerodynamic, moved dangerously faster than the massive door the Guardian had thrown a moment before. The average human would likely of been caught in fear, frozen by Mariano's fearsome strength. Needless to say though, Ansem was not fazed in the least, having already proving his (or at least his Guardian's) strength. Quickly responding and using his ability of levitation, Ansem pushed off the ground and glided a short distance to the side, narrowly avoiding the fragment, which sailed through the open doorway behind him and skidded to a stop somewhere along the back of the audience chamber.
Floating a foot or so above the ground, The Seeker of Darkness watched carefully as Mariano grappled with Cloud. It was in these few seconds that Ansem realized two very important things about their enemy. The first of these things was the blade on his chain weapon, shaped like a sickle, with the blade on the inside. With the waving motion that he used and because the door had cut so cleanly, Ansem deduced that this was not the weapon the 'Ninja' used to slice the door in two. This meant that he either had a secondary weapon, or a special ability, which was definitely worth noting. The second thing was that the boy was fighting quite desperately, using every possible moment to lash back at his opponents. Quick on the attack, true, but he wasn't taking any time to recover between attacks, something he had already paid for in the form of two deep cuts from Cloud's Ultima Weapon. Why was he focusing so much on attacking?
Ansem narrowed his eyes. The 'Ninja', knocked down by Cloud's final attack, used the momentum to his advantage, quickly turning about and dashing towards The Seeker of Darkness. Gesturing with both hands, he appeared as if he was inviting the attack, and indeed he was, raising his Shock Shield at the last moment, a cage of energy that instantly snapped into existence, it surrounded Ansem and his Guardian, protecting them from Mariano's onslaught. It faded after the final attack, and while the two inside emerged unscathed, Ansem wondered if the boy had actually managed to hurt himself in his reckless assault. It was at that moment that something clicked in Ansem's head, as he suddenly realized what this boy was trying to do.
The boy had found himself in the open, against two presumably stronger opponents, one of which could fly. Realizing his disadvantage, he knew that he would have to move to a better location, indoors, where he could put his back to a wall and remove the advantage of flight. He couldn't run for it, and risk putting his back to one of them, so he put them on the defensive with his desperate offense and fought his way inside. From here, he would either shift to a more balanced style and fight to win, or he would continue his brazen tactic and fight his way deeper into the castle; Ansem expected the latter, after all, he did come for the Princess. Then again, he could be wrong about all of this, it could just be that his opponent was a short-sighted fool entirely focused on offense, but Ansem wasn't about to underestimate him again.
The Seeker of Darkness gently moved out of the doorway, and floated between Mariano and the stairs. He noted the boy's final comment, which indirectly confirmed Ansem's theory, the chain was indeed a keyblade, transformed by an ability, it was likely that it wouldn't be long before it returned to its normal form of a key. Sure of himself, Ansem finally replied to Mariano's earlier rant. "Good and evil are but concepts created by the denizens of the universe, and it truly has no relation to either Light or Darkness. Oft have I seen 'Good' serve under Darkness, and 'Evil' under Light. But in the end, what is Good and what is Evil depends on the individual. To prove my point, you believe that this 'Masked Man' is just in his endeavors, while Cloud believes quite the opposite. How can beings so conflicted, with such radically different morals and purposes, truly claim to serve either Light or Darkness? The truth is that none can, no one can really serve either side, they can only steal what power they can from it and act out their own ideals. From this perspective, it is obvious that the war we endure is a war of individuals, not a massive conflict of Light and Darkness."
"Ask yourself, 'When did this Heartless say he was here to defend this broken world?' Surely, I have not come to defend this world, such a thing is farthest from my interests."
Ansem shifted, lowering his arms, a glint in his eye. To combat his opponent's style, he too would start focusing on offense. It would be his human body versus a body of pure darkness, clearly one had advantage over the other. Without so much as a gesture on Ansem's part, his Guardian lowered itself and disappeared into a pool of darkness on the floor. "But it's pointless to try and reason with a creature as zealous as you, isn't it?" Numerous pools of darkness formed around Mariano's feet. From the pool in-front of him, the Guardian emerged, attacked with a viciously fast uppercut, and quickly plunged back into the pool for the next attack. For now, The Seeker of Darkness trusted the Guardian to corral the boy with Dark Shadow, which would open him to more attacks from Cloud and himself.
- Shock Shield With a slight motion, a cage of energy surrounds Ansem, protecting him from attacks and harming anyone who gets too close. [Duration: 0. Cooldown: 1]
- Dark Shadow On Ansem's command. The Guardian will detach and dive into the ground. Dark pools will form continuously under all enemies, from these the Guardian will emerge and strike enemies at amazing speeds. Once the duration of Dark Shadow is over, The Guardian will emerge and strike the ground, creating a shock-wave of darkness. [Cooldown: Once per battle. Duration: 4 posts.]
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Post by mrstrife on May 10, 2012 19:59:16 GMT -5
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Bring ruination to the worlds![ You're truly a lost fool, must like I had been. I'm sorry, but if you refuse to see where you're wrong I'll be forced to end this. Even if it means killing you.] Tagged:[ Mariano; Ansem The Seeker of Darkness] OOC:[ Raid Theme: WEAPON Raid]
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I won't let you The One Winged Demon had taken note of the man’s retort to Ansem, letting the words roll over in his mind. He claimed that he was restoring the true balance of the worlds, that he was bringing a ‘blessing’ to them that would forever rid them of Light and Darkness. It was the same twisted lie that the Masked Man had fed him back in the Castle of Dreams, the same line of logic that had led Cloud astray and to the side of this madman’s plot. He knew better now, the corruption of the worlds was far from a blessing and was holding them in bondage at whim to the evil being who created it. This man, did he not see that? Was he not true at heart and wanting the same that he himself had wanted? Perhaps not, maybe he was as evil and calculating as his apparent master and cared not for the worlds but only for their own strength. One thing the ninja said stuck out in his mind however, “...it has been true since the day Light and Darkness have been created, and good and evil have fought against each other.” Was this correlation really accurate, did Light and Darkness really mean Good and Evil? A few contradictions rose in his mind, but before he could ponder on it the battle had begun. A keyblade had appeared in the hand of their foe, slicing the door to leave its pieces flying harmlessly past the keybearer. Interestingly it formed into a chain, a feat Cloud had never seen Sora do. Was he more accomplished with the weapon than Sora had been? Sora hadn’t to his knowledge used the keyblade much differently than a sword, and if being able to manipulate the form of the keyblade was a sign of one’s skill or power then he and Ansem were definitely going to have trouble taking on this accomplished foe. Still, that fact hadn’t kept Cloud from attacking, pleasing the blond that his attack had struck his opponent. However, he’d not been given the time to counter the door and a grunt could be heard across the bridge as the fragment of the door broke around him from contact with his skull. Cloud then quickly found himself caught off guard as he was slashed up his chest by the whip that was Mariano’s keyblade, its tip cutting his cheek as it withdrew. With a growl of pain he flapped his wing several times, regaining balance in the air while he ran his thumb across his cheek to wipe away at some of the blood in vain. The new bump on his head throbbed, but likely didn’t compare to the slashes he’d inflicted. The symbol of a keyhole flashed as Mariano finished his assault upon the Heartless, gaining access to the doorway behind him. Wonderful, guess it was too much to ask that we keep this outside.The retort from Mariano earned naught but a snort from Cloud as he flew towards the castle, remaining overhead but still defensively near the balcony of the princess. He had to play smart to keep this fiend away from her, even if he entered the castle Cloud had to keep him out of this room at all costs. Undoubtedly the ninja would flee as soon as he captured Aurora, even if it meant that he wasn’t corrupting the world with their sickening possession. If the masked man made his way within the castle, he’d simply have to enter it through Aurora’s room and cut him off before he could capture his prize. He could only hope that in such a scenario that Ansem would take precautions to prevent him from striking his temporary ally. After all, he doubted either of them wanted to take this foe alone. Ansem’s words rang in Cloud’s mind, bringing him back to his thoughts just before the offensive. Light and Darkness did not mean Good and Evil. Was this really true? Cloud had already experienced a fact that supported this claim: though Genesis’s heart was aligned with the Darkness he still was far greater a hero than the Imaginary SOLDIER could ever be. He always had been, from attacking Shinra just like Cloud and AVALANCHE had years later, to trying to maintain the order in the worlds to promote peace. Surely Genesis wasn’t the only example of this, and Cloud nodded slightly as he accepted the notion. Maybe... Maybe if he accepted the Darkness in his heart, he could still protect the ones he loved. Just maybe. |
[/color][/center] Cloud watched as Ansem finished his speech, taking note as the Heartless’s Guardian sank into the ground and began its assault. Not wanting to make it easy for their opponent to dodge the attacks, Cloud rose Ultima Weapon and twirled it over his head while a red aura flared outward around him. With another powerful flap of his wing Cloud flew above Aurora’s balcony, then tucked his wing and dropped upon the stone structure as he drove Ultima Weapon into the ‘ground’ beneath him to summon the group of small space rocks that made up Meteor Rain, the stones dropping from the sky in swift succession upon the ninja’s position. One way or the other, he was being struck down. As he stood, yanking Ultima Weapon out of the ground Cloud looked over the edge of the balcony as he finally took his turn to speak in response to the words of Neutral’s second knight. “I didn’t bring Ansem here, the Heartless came of his own accord. He’s right in one thing, Light and Darkness don’t mean good and evil, neither does Neutral mean lack thereof or both. Your ‘blessing’ is nothing but a farce, how can you consider that as becoming a mindless drone controlled by another? He’s a threat to the worlds and must be stopped. I agree the war must end, but imprisoning everyone isn’t the answer!” Cloud shook his head. “We all want peace, and I’ll figure out how to bring it without costing our freedom... And if the openness of the worlds is the reason for our strife as you allude, then maybe closing them in the answer.”-------------------- Cool Downs:Meteor Rain: Three Post Cool Down [/div] [/td][/tr][/table] [/center]
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Mariano
Neutral
[M:450]
"The world must have balance. That includes both the Light and the Darkness."
Posts: 30
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Post by Mariano on May 12, 2012 5:40:21 GMT -5
The masked apprentice made a amused 'Hmph' as he jumped back from having last attacked the Heartless that failed to sink the worlds into darkness the first time around, now currently standing under the doorway where said Heartless had ripped the doors from the hinges. As he faced his back to the open throne room where long ago the keyblader Terra had fought the Wheelmaster Unversed, he kept his senses open as Ansem countered him with his words, instead of his actions. "Ah, so finally, you've come around to seeing the shades of grey." he retorted, watching as Cloud flew above them and landed somewhere above him below, probably to make a surprise attack despite being 'honorable' about waiting to attack after the Human Heartless had. "People stereotypically cling to the Light because of the brightness and peace it brings them, and the same holds true for those of evil using the constantly changing and devouring Darkness, of power and calamity. But in the end, it is the individual who decides what to do with that alignment. Oh, and shall I chose to believe everything you've said is true, regarding all I've heard you contradict just now? Whatever your intentions are, they will not matter in the end."Those were the last words me managed to speak before Ansem moved this time, sinking into the ground as he had seen so many Shadow Heartless do. It was for this reasoning that at any moment he was going to appear underneath the neutral keyblader and strike, while Cloud went to ambush him from somewhere below. He thought he heard a voice somewhere up in the far distance; but it was too faint to hear. Cloud, that fool... did he not realize that if he was trying to speak to him as Ansem did, he was a level up above the throne room, the ramparts and several layers of brick and stone between them? Apart from the distance Cloud had incorrectly anticipated Mariano had traveled in a failed attempt to intercept him, at the same time there was a rumbling sound from above, and the knight of in-between had not forgotten Ansem as he begun to move deeper into the Audience Chamber.Several things started to happen at once; before he could get into a full sprint, the castle shook upon the impact of Cloud's Meteorain, that while he was standing upon Aurora's balcony he had forgotten to calculate that the castle's rampart came in between that location and the entrance of the castle. As such since Cloud's move did not have such a far range and a steep incline of the meteor's descent, it clipped the top of the wall bordering the top of the castle, missing his intended target but sending stone rubble down towards the entrance. This all happened very quickly, so while Mariano was confident he was sheltered from the attack, Cloud had gotten lucky that the debris fell down around him and blocked his escape path. He managed to avoid getting hit from the falling stones, and realizing his escape path had been momentarily blocked as he was about to be struck, raised his keyblade and returned the favor to Ansem by activating his own guard technique called Energy Block. A invincible prism of energy cocooned around him as he raised his keyblade, guarding from all the combo hits Ansem had made with his Dark Shadow, as he had done blocking all of his keyblade strikes with the yellow and purple sphere he had conjured around him. Once the assault was confirmed to be over, Mariano quickly whipped his still active Chain Blade to wrap around the top of one of the pillars within the castle lining up towards the throne, and quickly swung away in a rapid movement to get around both the large piece of stone that had barricaded him and the shade of a man who had stolen the name Ansem. He swung as far to the base of the stairs as his whip unraveled around the pillar, which the ascension when one entered would be seen on their right-hand side, recoiling the whip to have it returned to his side. To make further use of the whip and conserve his energy as he did so, as the chain whip came back to him, with a flick of the wrist he savagely whipped the blades of the metal rope through one of the columns at the base. There was a shaking of the castle as one of it's supports groaned and crumbled, coming down towards Ansem, taking down with it many of the medieval banners and flags that were hanging down from the ceiling. But the pillar being cut down was not his true intention, as the whip continued to lash across the width of the room, towards the throne where several lit candles had been left alight. The metal notches grappling the edge of the table underneath as the tip of the weapon coiled around the table leg, he flicked the whipping motion back the way it had come, throwing the candles onto the long flags on the floor and immediately setting the floor around Ansem ablaze as his whip reformed back into the silver and black jagged keyblade Nebula Path. It may not have directly damaged him if he had any more shadow tricks as a Heartless to pull, but nether the less it was only to make things harder and to keep the Heartless busy as he prepared his next move, staying where he was and setting the scene for the demise of Cloud's abandoned ally downstairs. "Pointless? I could say the same of you." Battle Theme: Power to Strive.~*~*~ (OOC: Note, I underlined what I consider to be one action; the whipping of the Chain Blade is considered one action, as a combo like Double Cut or Dark Shadow is, so I hope this is fair in regards to what you inquired about actions to Vincent.) Energy Block: A defensive move that allows Mariano create a prism of enegy around him, which blocks all offensive powers and status effects against him for a short moment. When using it outside battle, it allows him to travel instantaneously between worlds. (Duration: One post, cooldown two posts.) Combination Rush: One round to go. Chain Blade: Finished duration, started three rounds to cool down.
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Post by cccxlii on May 15, 2012 21:30:02 GMT -5
Ansem remained silent as Mariano talked about the contradictions that the Seeker of Darkness apparently spouted. He was starting to wonder if the boy even knew what the word meant. It was clear to him that this masked boy was entirely mad, and absolutely unable to listen to any reason. Deciding that it was useless to converse with the Zealot any further, Ansem put his full focus onto the fight. He had underestimated this boy's capabilities, but no longer. It was here that Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, would start fighting seriously. He would ensure that Mariano would not succeed in his objective.
The Heartless kept a close eye on Mariano as he ran deeper into the Chamber, as Xehanort's Guardian gave chase. Suddenly, the castle shook, and Ansem looked away to see what had just happened. It appeared the entrance had just been hit by something massive, possibly an attack from Cloud. Whatever it was, the impact had loosened quite a few stones, blocking the entrance of the castle and sending a hail of rain down on Mariano and Ansem's heads. To defend himself, Ansem simply raised his arm above his head, using it as a shield against the rocks. He wasn't too concerned about it, knowing full well that this castle was designed against sieges, as any other castle would be. Though some big rocks did fall, they fell mostly onto the boy, who had erected some sort of energy barrier, protecting him from not only the rocks, but from Xehanort's Guardian as well.
Once the hail of stones had ended, Mariano made his move. Using his chain blade weapon, he swung across the chamber. As he passed over him, Ansem turned and followed, he wouldn't let up on the attack. Just as the ninja had landed and whipping his chain about, the Heartless had started his Dark Rush, an attack that had caught even Sephiroth himself off his guard. Surrounded by hemisphere of darkness, he charged towards Mariano with awesome speed, leaving the mess of stone and fire behind him, the barrier deflecting anything any debris did manage to hit him. When the boy's whip had finally returned to him; transforming into a different weapon, as Ansem had already predicted; the Seeker of Darkness was already upon him. He returned the favor of the Combination Rush, and charged through Mariano. 'Through', because Ansem wasn't aiming for Mariano, but rather the wall behind him, so while he may or may not of actually hit the boy with the attack, it didn't matter to him either way.
Coming upon the wall, Ansem changed directions. Using his power of Levitation, combined with the Dark Rush, he ascended, moving parallel to the wall at the same high speeds as before. Snaking around the stairs, Ansem considered covering his retreat by firing a Dark Thunder spell behind him and down at Mariano, where the hemisphere did not cover Ansem and would not interfere with the attack. Even if it missed, it would ignite the runner and make it harder for the boy to ascend. But this was not what Ansem would do, he would aim for the short battle that the boy seemed to strive for. Ansem started by canceling the Dark Shadow attack, Mariano was simply too skilled for it. Instead, Ansem gave a different order to Xehanort's Guardian. "Submit!" The Guardian immediately changed its tactics, flying out of one of its dark pools and evaporating into thin-air. Though invisible and intangible, it hung over Mariano as an oppressive shadow, just waiting for the right moment to grab hold of him.
Momentarily escaping from Mariano and the battle, Ansem burst through the top of the stair. The hemisphere of darkness that surrounded Ansem dissipating as his Dark Rush ability ended, though he did not end his Levitation, which he used to fly to the end of the hallway, to the door to Aurora's Chamber. The Seeker of Darkness addressed Cloud as he entered, giving him short glances as he floated towards the Princess laying in her bed. "I'm taking the Princess somewhere defendable. Do whatever it takes to stall the keyblader. Go!" Ansem didn't give him the chance to argue. By the time he said, 'Go', he had already scooped the Princess into his arms, making his way up the nearby stairs to the Tower Room.
- Levitation Ansem sports a unique mastery over levitation, using magic to push himself a short distance off a surface and float there. He's able to change speed and direction instantaneously, rarely putting both of his feet on the ground and instead preferring to glide over whatever surface is below him. It's not a true flight, and while Ansem can slow his descent to land safely, he cannot ascend without a nearby surface to "push" off of. [Passive]
- Submit On Ansem's command. The Guardian will move away from Ansem and attach itself to an enemy. Once attached The Guardian will wait for the host to attempt a melee attack, once they do The Guardian will automatically activate Freeze. Ansem may call back The Guardian at any time, ending the ability immediately. [Duration: 2 (Guardian returns at the end of third post). Cooldown: 2]
- - Freeze (on standby) This power will automatically activate if Submit is active and the attached target attempts a melee attack (magic and ranged don't count). The Guardian will take advantage of the host's overextention and will restrain him, leaving them unable to move and use most powers. [Duration: 2 posts. Submit must be active]
- Dark Rush A scintillating hemisphere of darkness materializes instantly, covering Ansem's leading sides (top, bottom, sides, and front) from attacks. Protected by the barrier, Ansem will charge recklessly towards his target. Once hit, the target will slide over the curvature of the darkness and be flung into the air. However, the awesome speed of the attack is also its weakness, as Ansem can be spent spiraling back by a solid defense [Duration: 0. Cooldown: 2]
- Dark Shadow On Ansem's command. The Guardian will detach and dive into the ground. Dark pools will form continuously under all enemies, from these the Guardian will emerge and strike enemies at amazing speeds. Once the duration of Dark Shadow is over, The Guardian will emerge and strike the ground, creating a shock-wave of darkness. [Cooldown: Once per battle. Duration: 0 posts.]
- Shock Shield With a slight motion, a cage of energy surrounds Ansem, protecting him from attacks and harming anyone who gets too close. [Duration: 0. Cooldown: 0]
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Post by mrstrife on May 17, 2012 18:45:13 GMT -5
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You will be stopped, the princess saved![ Blinded by his story, you refuse to see the disaster that he's bringing to the worlds. Maybe you don't even care. Whatever the case, it doesn't matter. It ends here Mariano!] Tagged:[ Mariano; Ansem The Seeker of Darkness] OOC:[ Raid Theme: WEAPON Raid]
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No matter the cost!! Watching the best he could from the balcony above, he watched as his attack attempted in vain to hit his opponent as he made his way through the entrance into the Audience Chamber of the castle. There was no way to know if he’d made contact or not, but the sight of the Meteor Rain destroying the entrance of the castle to block the ninja’s escape path made him feel a little more at ease. Certainly he could still climb the rubble and make his way through the tiny gap that remained from the back of the entrance’s wall and the rubble he’d created, but at least it gave Ansem more time to raise a counter if the need called for it. With that he turned his attention back towards Aurora’s room, slowly making his way inside of it to set his gaze upon the sleeping princess. How she managed to find rest during all the commotion was beyond him, then again he guessed the princesses were known for that sort of thing.
It wasn’t long before the groan of the castle was heard by the blond, and a shake roared through the castle as something was destroyed downstairs. Cloud spread his feet beneath him to keep his balance, glaring first at the door then glanced over his shoulder towards the balcony. What was going on down there? He was certain it would take more than that to take down either the Seeker of Darkness or Neutral’s Keybearer, but if they continued destroying parts of the castle with their attacks then perhaps there wouldn’t be much of a castle left to defend. Not that Cloud particularly cared, but he had to make sure that the princess was safe. He considered taking the princess somewhere safe, before he heard a faint whisper coming from the door. Returning his gaze to it, he surmised that Mariano was headed straight for him and the princess. Taking a few steps back from the door, he brought Ultima Weapon firmly before him as he glared at it in anticipation for the masked one’s entrance.
It never came. More sounds of the commotion reached Cloud’s ears, though he couldn’t quite kiss what it was. Another faint voice, before the sound of an oncoming attack reached the door then vanished. Cloud tensed his muscles, preparing to rush forward and strike as Ansem burst through the door and made his way to the princess. He hesitated, opening his mouth to question the Heartless before he was given a quick explanation and order of what to do next.
“I’m taking the Princess somewhere defendable. Do whatever it takes to stall the keyblader. Go!” With that, Ansem scooped the princess up in his arms and headed back out the door. Cloud ran after him, stopping just outside the doorway as he gazed after the Seeker of Darkness. Now wasn’t a time to think, time was too valuable to do much else than act. He hated the thought of Ansem holding onto the Princess, especially with what he’d done to them in the past. Still, if he was truly on Cloud’s side than whatever he had planned was the lesser of two evils. Even if she fell to the Darkness, at least she wouldn’t be in the hands of the Masked Man. As long as the enemies of the Light both had part of the puzzle, unless they united there was no way for either to accomplish their objective. So with a heavy sigh and a nod, Cloud simply said “Keep her safe,” his threatening glare and sudden burst of a mako colored aura flaring around him adding the expected Or else |
[/color] he didn’t find time to say before he rushed down the stairs towards the Audience Chamber in his EX Mode. Weapon in hand as he emerged towards the bottom of the stairs, Cloud rose the blade into the air as energy crackled down from its handle to its tip. Not wasting any more time, he dropped to a knee as he drove Ultima Weapon’s edge into the ground, diverting the energy from the blade into an arc that raced towards Mariano as Blade Beam, where it would violently explode upon contact with its opponent or the wall. Whichever came first. Cloud yanked the sword from the ground, pulling it to his side before driving forward with it like a spear for the core of his opponent with great speed he’d not yet shown himself capable of in this battle. Dropping the tip of the sword, he then slashed upwards through Mariano’s location in an attempt to throw him into the air even if it meant grazing the guardian. He leapt in anticipation of his success, driving his sword back downward in a carefully aimed stab nearly reminiscent of Sephiroth’s Hell’s Gate to drive his opponent back into the ground concluding Climhazzard. He then quickly leapt back onto the stairs, bringing Ultima Weapon before him once more as he glared at Neutral’s Second Knight and blocked his path further up the stairs. Whether or not each of his blows connected, he was sure that he’d sent a clear message to his opponent; one which he made clear to voice aloud. “I’ll say it again. Your blessing is a farce, and I won’t let you take the princess for your bidding. I’ve seen what it really does, and I won’t let you steal anyone else’s freedom!”No matter what it took, he was defending Aurora. With his life if he had to. Hell, with Sephiroth’s claim over him he was sure the One Winged Angel wouldn’t let him fall. He’s proven that before, so as far as the One Winged Demon was concerned he had nothing to lose. Whether for good or evil Ansem was taking care of the princess upstairs, so that loose end was dealt with. All he had to do was drive Mariano back, sending a firm message to the Masked Man that he wasn’t going to succeed. -------------------- Cool Downs:EX Mode: Three Post Duration, Four Post Cool Down. Ends early if EX Burst is used. Automatically casts Regen upon Cloud, steadily restoring his health in small amounts and grants him the Crush ability, allowing him to break through normal guards or blocks with ease. Meteor Rain: Two Post Cool Down Blade Beam: Two Post Cool Down Climhazzard: Three Post Cool Down [/div] [/td][/tr][/table] [/center]
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Mariano
Neutral
[M:450]
"The world must have balance. That includes both the Light and the Darkness."
Posts: 30
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Post by Mariano on May 18, 2012 7:20:12 GMT -5
The false Ansem remained deathly silent as Mariano poised on the stairs; he had won this verbal battle, and for good reason because all he had spoke was the truth. If you had looked back on everything he had spoken, there was no fabrication of his words, and he knew that his opponents knew this. And yet, they lied to themselves, and denied what was to come. Of course, the false wise man that had stolen the name of his master would, because of his nature to survive as a twisted and darkened former shade of himself. It would not be surprising that he would do everything he could in his 'best interests', even if it was to appear to team up with a fallen hero. As the neutral keyblader stopped on the steps to prepare for his second attack, the Human Heartless made the first move. He of course cheated himself of the one-on-one duel Cloud had abandoned them to have, using his guardian as a shield to rush his way out of the stone and fire projectiles he had thrown his way. Predictable. The Shadow Rush came for the keybarer, but as Mariano jumped off the stairs to avoid him, he seemed to somehow hit the wall at the back of the curving staircase behind him and somehow float despite the fact that he had no elevation or platform to launch himself into the air, nor did anything but the staircase nestled in his corner offer this. If anything as Mariano moved back to his original position at the base of the stairs, all that the Heartless of Xehanort seemed to do was bounce off the curves of the staircase like a pinball, what he seemed to intend to do while aiming at the wall while going at the speed of a frieght train. As smoke began to stink up the air of the Audience Chamber, and ashes scattered from the falling flag banners above he had ignited, he could only shake his head in an unimpressed manner as exiting failure of a villain yelled something. Immediately, the Guardian in front of him disappeared into the shadows, and he could only anticipate what the terrible omen was he could feel hovering over his very soul was. He waited to see if the Guardian would do anything and appear to attack him, but it did not, and he began to think it was waiting at a opportune moment to strike. He sighed, and chuckled to himself, not running as if he had to stop Cloud or Ansem who were now in Aurora's chamber obviously man-handling the Princess against her very will. And why should he, if there was no rush, as before he had told Ansem and Cloud the truth that no matter what they did it was fruitless to attempt to stop him? Instead he simply began to walk confidently up the staircase, as if he was going to pay the princess a polite visit, or even go to sleep. But no, Ansem and Cloud had to bring their violence to the scene, didn't they? Such a bother and case in point, it almost seemed obvious who was in charge of this operation as Cloud came bounding down the stairs and no princess in sight, obviously when he had the chance to whisk the princess away to 'safety'. Obviously Ansem had filled that empty head of his with ideas as the brain of the salvation attempt while sending Cloud downstairs as the chocobo-headed brawn, and not even so much as a greeting before slamming his sword down and sending a beam of energy his way. How rude. The energy of the beam along the floor did catch the 'neutral 2nd knight' off guard, allowing himself to be hit by the energy, but it was a minor setback. He noticed there was something different about Cloud when he came downstairs now covered in a aura of energy, as if he had ignited himself with a blue flame. No surge of emotion, no words of defiance, he just lit himself alight like a candle as easy as it was to complete said action? He would have to wait and see what this aura would do, but first flipped over Cloud before he could launch into his attack, in order to get around him to the top of the stairs before first using his Slash Disks ability. This was a physical ability,so as he threw his keyblade forward like a Strike Raid to clash against Cloud, the Guardian ominously hovering over him out of sight would have no choice but to grab and restrain him unbeknownst to Mariano, but his keyblade bursting into many spinning copies of his keyblade before the real keyblade hit into Cloud as a combo would attack Cloud while he used Climhazzard. As a added bonus while the blades served as a distraction, Mariano wrestled to flipped his body forward to have the Guardian be struck by the sword as thick as the head of the Buster Basher, so Cloud would be forced to attack the muscular guardian even if he had a firm grip on him. If Cloud attempted to destroy the copies aimed at him and cancel his sword technique, to avoid striking the Guardian, even the better. Either way, once the Guardian had disappeared and should have taken the brunt if not all of the length of Cloud's blade, he continued to flip into the air gracefully until he landed back at the top of the stairs, lifting his hand back up to catch his caught Nebula Path. "The time to listen to your lame declarations to me has passed, Cloud. You let the Seeker of Darkness have a princess of heart... wait until your friends hear about this, and you have no idea of what we will really do." he said coldly as he looked back up, then quickly turned and fled from the warrior who's sword was as large as his ignorance, just as Ansem had done before him. Making more time with his speedy lithe body more than the weight his opponent could handle with that sword, he made his way through the corridors and into Aurora's room in record time, heading up the tower entrance as he did not see Ansem floating anywhere from the balcony. Just as he had predicted, the Heartless had stupidly gotten himself cornered, princess still in his arms and apparently unconscious. "So much for taking her willingly; something tells me the princess' heart is telling her it's not willing to come along with you as she did the first time." Before the unintelligent half of Xehanort could speak, Mariano raised his free hand not grasping his keyblade, and thrust it towards the defenseless Heartless without either of his body guards as he used Zero Gravija to time it just as Cloud would pathetically stumble into the room in a attempt to play catch-up 'hero'. An immense flux of gravity magic was pushed out from the center of the neutral keyblader's heart, not affecting dearest Aurora, but would grasp her kidnapper firmly to return the favor once more his Guardian did, and then throw him harshly into the wall along with gravity damage. Whether the attack was successful or not as the neutral ninja did not see how he could avoid it in such a narrow and enclosed tower room, before anything else could be done, he thrust his keyblade this time forward above Aurora's chest as rings of light encircled the tip. There was a pulse of golden waves from beneath, and suddenly a small sphere of the purest light emerged out of Aurora's chest, floating straight up and then hovering above Mariano's open palm. "You see? The heart wants what it wants, and Aurora's has decided to come with me, body or not; it will follow. I told you your intentions will not matter in the end." he scoffed as he stood gloatingly over the two anti-heroes in victory, Aurora's heart becoming encased inside a crystal that grew over and froze it, and in the blink of an eye it rose above Mariano's hand and vanished. "Futile."Battle Theme: Power to Strive.--- Energy Block: One round to go. Combination Rush: Finished cooldown. Chain Blade: Two rounds to go. Slash Disks: A simple ranged projectile attack, Mariano throws his keyblade forward in a spin, five energy imitations of the blade spin forward from the weapon in a barrage before the real blade hits the target(s). The facades are made of energy and are destroyed upon hitting their target(s), but the real keyblade returns to Mariano's hand. If there is only one enemy, they receive all of the barrage, but if there's multiple it spreads out between them. (Cooldown is one post.) Zero Gravija: Mariano casts this around him, lifting everything up (including attempting to lift the opponent(s) in range) within a fifteen by fifteen foot diameter. Rapidly lifted up, the objects or opponents are then thrown back by a mighty force into the surrounding battlezone, also causing heavy gravity damage and the effect 'wall rush' of throwing the opponent(s) into the nearest flat surface of the ceiling, wall or ground. (Cooldown: 4 turns/rounds.)
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Post by Larxene on May 22, 2012 22:52:37 GMT -5
Ansem has been removed from the Raid for not posting within four days.
Cloud is next to post in the thread. He has four days.
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Post by mrstrife on May 23, 2012 18:21:09 GMT -5
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Rears its' ugly head once again..![ You wanted to face a Cloud consumed by Darkness, now you have it! Masked Man told Cloud he needed to accept and embrace the Darkness in his heart, perhaps this power is the reason why he wanted him to... And not to balance it like he claimed.] Tagged:[ Mariano;] OOC:[ This new music you posted is awesome and fits the situation well, I will bow to the change. Battle Theme: Power To Strive]
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Sephiroth's Clone Taking notice of how Mariano seemed to shrug off Blade Beam, Cloud had continued his assault in vain. He failed to keep the keybearer away from the stairs, finding his opponent leaping over him before he could even begin his attack. As regen continually chipped away at the damage he’d sustained earlier in battle, Cloud found himself at the brunt of what seemed to be a series of keyblades aiming to cut him to pieces. To make matters worse, Neutral’s Second Knight flipped himself to use the Guardian as a shield to protect from Cloud’s onslaught. The Imaginary SOLDIER hardly had time to change course, cutting through the Guardian before the barrage of keyblades collided with Cloud, their force halting him in midair before the true keyblade slammed into Cloud’s chest and sent him tumbling backwards towards the base of the stairs. His landing was far from graceful, despite landing on his feet, the buster basher finding himself stumbling forward. He threw his arm out to catch his fall, dropping a knee while he looked up to hear Mariano’s speech before he vanished up the stairs towards where Cloud had left Ansem.
“No! Cloud shouted, a sense of panic taking hold of his heart as he sprinted up the staircase after his opponent. Everything was unraveling at once; everything that he’d tried too hard to secure ever since he’d foolishly left Gaia to go after the Masked Man. Sure, Cid had probably already told the others about his betrayal, but even then he knew Cid would mention that Cloud was ‘stupidly being led by that masked moron into believing he’s doing what’s right’ and that would earn some sort of forgiveness from the ones that truly mattered... Tifa, and Aerith. This however, this was news that would certainly crush their hopes of saving him and turn him into a hated enemy even more reviled that Sephiroth. Yes, what the One Winged Angel had done was horrible, but Cloud had betrayed the ones he loved and that would earn hatred that even Sephiroth couldn’t earn. He had to stop this ninja, he couldn’t let him leave this world alive! Especially with the Princess, and now every second Cloud took to reach them was another second that she could be taken away. Though he hoped Ansem could save her, he knew he couldn’t trust the Heartless completely.
When Cloud reached the entrance to the Tower Room, he could only watch in horror to what transpired. Ansem was thrust hard into the wall, it cracking from the terrible power of the spell. Even worse, he was helpless as Aurora’s heart was removed from her chest with the keyblade. Cloud’s jaw dropped, leaving his mouth agape as Mariano all but claimed victory over the two of them while Ansem faded into the Darkness he’d crawled out of. Aurora’s heart crystallizing and vanishing from sight meant one thing, even if Cloud managed to repel Mariano from the world and save it from being corrupted by the evil energy the Neutral carried with it, he had failed his objective to protect the princess. He had fought in vain, his efforts just as futile as Mariano spoke.
What happened next Cloud could hardly control, as the darkness in his heart came to the forefront from the rage and despair that took hold of the fragile vessel. His fists clenched tightly around the handle of Ultima Weapon, his breathing becoming visibly deeper from the frustration that built up in his chest. Mariano, this fool, he was taking everything away from Cloud. He was threatening the worlds, endangering them into a pit of chaos that even the deity that shared that name couldn’t hope to match. He had failed, he couldn’t even stop one man from so quickly accomplishing his goal. Angry at himself, angry at Mariano for his success, angry at Ansem for his failure... His Darkness swelled, taking advantage of his emotions to visibly spark around him for a second as he narrowed his eyes. The normally mako blue orbs were now tainted slightly green, his pupils dancing between normal and being slitted like a cat.
The ‘flame’ around the One Winged Demon brightened to a brilliant orange more reminiscent of fire as he raced towards Mariano at break neck speed with Ultima Weapon shouldered at his right. While a red material in his armlet glowed, he was a blur when he tried to blow straight through the enemy, changing course without warning to dart to the side and dart through him four more times in rapid success from seemingly all directions at once with Omnislash Version Five. He spun, leaping upward before plummeting downward to slam his sword into Mariano to cause a ground cracking explosion that would likely send him reeling into the stone floor as Cloud landed and reached up to catch his blade as it fell and trigger his EX Burst.
“I’ve thought of a wonderful present for you,” Cloud told Mariano while he brought the sword before him, placing his free hand alongside it as Bahamut Zero flew down to the castle as commanded by Cloud’s summoning of it. It roared while Cloud charged Mariano once more, its head taking up the entirety of the room’s single window while it straightened its neck with its mouth agape... Beginning to charge a powerful blue ball before its tongue. Omnislash was brutal, fourteen powerful swings of Ultima Weapon to cleave at Mariano again and again while Cloud pushed forward to send his opponent closer to the wall with each strike. He leaped into the air, bringing the blade over his head as a golden light burst from its edge then brought it down ward against Mariano to slam the blade against him in an attempt to pin him against the wall while the explosion of the blow attempted to consume him and pummel him with an additional six blows. A sickening smirk formed on Cloud’s lips as the room was filled with the blue glow of Bahamut Zero’s charge, and he finished his arch enemy’s notorious quote as an exclamation point to what was to come.
“Shall I give you despair?”
Right on cue, as soon as Cloud spoke the line Tetra Flare was upon the duo, erupting in a castle shaking explosion that would consume everything in the room and shatter its walls. Flaming stone rained upon the castle and the surrounding area, Bahamut Zero letting out a final roar before it vanished in a teal cloud of the lifestream’s energy. Where the duo was the floor had collapsed, and Cloud found himself slowly crawling out of the rubble that had filled the stairwell. He went to stretch his wing in an attempt to escape to the air, letting out a painful cry as he realized that the appendage had been torn asunder and left utterly useless. No matter, it could be removed and regenerate in time. For now though, Cloud needed to focus on the situation at hand. He coughed, wincing as he rose to his feet, body covered in burns, bruises and cuts. His outfit had been torn asunder; the closed environment of the room seemed to have intensified the attack by containing it in a smaller area for a longer period of time before overwhelming the tower and erupting from it. The restorative benefit of Regen was gone, Cloud would have to wait until he gathered the energy to heal himself.
He’d lost himself, barely remembering what just transpired and it horrified him. Was his Darkness really so powerful, really so overwhelming that it could do this to him? This worried Cloud, what if it did this and he killed one of his loved ones because of it? With a heavy sigh he looked with his now normal mako blue eyes around for any sign of his opponent, another more important question lingering in his mind. With his true mission having failed, Aurora’s heart having been captured by Mariano, he couldn’t help but think...
...What am I fighting for now..?
-------------------- Abilities Used: EX Mode: Over, Four Post Cool Down
Meteor Rain: One Post Cool Down Blade Beam: One Post Cool Down Climhazzard: Two Post Cool Down Bahamut Zero: Four Post Cool Down Omnislash Version Five: Five Post Cool Down Omnislash: Ended EX Mode.
Note: I used the rules to my knowledge for this post, if I was wrong please feel free to have me corrected and I will adjust my post. Omnislash Version Five into Omnislash is a canon chain from Dissidia, thus counts as one action. Summoning Bahamut Zero does not count as an action, but his Tetra Flare does. Thus, my two actions.
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