Malignant Eloquism, True Heresy [Kadaj/Furiae]

[Administrator]

What? Without me? No...they wouldn't.

A man was walking around the Marketplace. It was still showing its scars from earlier in the month. Unfortunately, he hadn't been invited to the party. He was completely covered in cloth, cloth of all sorts of colors, as if he had no sense of color whatsoever. It was just randomly assorted, and looked like a gumball machine with its color assortment.

He passed the Marketplace and began walking to his true location, the castle which lay in wait past the main city. Once he was out of sight of the townsfolk, the clothing all fell off, revealing the man beneath, with short white hair and bright yellow eyes that positively twinkled with mischief. He was wearing black clothing, with bright red lining, something which blended much better than his previous bundle of cloth.

Looking off into the distance, glowing yellow eyes pierced the landscape until they found what they were looking for. The castle, the Bastion, lay in wait for him. The child-like mind was positively giddy with excitement, an excitement which quickly spread to his face in the form of a wide grin. "Ooh, lucky me, I get to go see the castle! I wonder how many of my 'brothers and sisters' are in it...and I wonder if they'll mind me taking a little looksie around."

The man with the yellow eyes stretched his body, stretching all of the muscles, and, lastly, those in his arms, revealing what appeared to be two bright red tattoos on the backs of his hands. But, anyone knew what they really were. They were Heartless symbols. This was no ordinary man. This man, was a Heartless. And not just any Heartless, this one was Avarice Entropy, the Chaos-born Heartless.

With the wide grin still spread across his face, Ava walked in the direction of the castle. He'd be there in not too long, and he had a feeling someone was waiting for him. It would be a surprise. Ava loved surprises, except when they happened without him and then surprised him. Then they made him mad...and then he killed. Just thinking of the countless innocents killed made Ava smile with delight as he bounced along the road, looking for all the world like an overgrown child...except more Heartless-y.

[Fate]

A Strange Welcome
Kita no Daikudo

"What a disgrace."

Kadaj looked down at Radiant Garden from one of the lower platforms of the castle, his green eyes scanning the large town below him. One could truly get a good view of the town from the castle; well, what was left of the town now anyway. Kadaj almost felt sorry for that Restoration Committee because they had to do so much work to fix it up again, more work than they had before. The town had looked somewhat nice when the silver swordsman and his brothers embarked on this world, but alas it no longer was.

The fact that the damage and Kadaj had nothing to do with each other made him absolutely furious, a grimace on his face at the moment. He had made it his mission to destroy worlds and he wasn't doing well in that goal so far. Land of Dragons still stood today because the Heartless couldn't find the keyhole and someone else came along and stole his thunder here in Radiant Garden. This guy had been more powerful than him too, which just made him even more infuriated; Kadaj hated to admit it, but he doubted he could have fought Blondie and his friends by himself.

He didn't even want to think about it anymore. He could go for some world destruction right now; he couldn't just stand here and look at Radiant Garden as if waiting for something to happen. He gave it one last look before going in, something catching his eye... or someone rather. Whoever it was, they were heading for the castle and they didn't look like an ordinary visitor. While Kadaj wasn't by any means the castle's security, since he figured Maleficent could do that just fine, it gave him something to do; the guy had to have a reason for coming to this castle anyway.

Kadaj disappeared inside of the castle, quickly making his way down to the bottom. He wasn't going to go outside though; the stranger could just meet him inside. He leaned against the fountain of the Entrance Hall, his arms crossed with a grin plastered on his features. Let's see what this guy made of him.

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[Administrator]

Ooh, I like his face. I might just keep it~

Ava walked inside the castle and looked around. It was huge, and magnificent, and everything he had hoped it would be. Except, there was one blemish on its perfection. There was a man inside of it, leaning up against the fountain. His grin wasn't so bad, though. Maybe he would prove to be able to entertain him.

"Hi there!" the exuberant child-voice exclaimed, his voice containing a note of supreme joy. "Do you want to play?" The symbols on the backs of his hands began to glow, and darkness spread across his arms, pouring down them to coalesce in his hands, forming into his twin katana, made of pure darkness. He grinned madly, charging at the man who leaned against the fountain, hoping that this one would put up a good fight.

"The last few didn't entertain me long...will you keep my attention, I wonder?" The voice had gained a bit of maturity, it seemed, upon drawing the blades from the darkness. The Chaos seemed to like this one, but it wanted to test him. Perhaps he would make a good ally...or maybe he would keep him entertained for a while. Either way he could be quite useful.

(The blade-summoning is purely cosmetic, and for fun. Also, recognize the last line?)

[Fate]

Play Time Has Begun

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The guy looked more like a Heartless than an actual man; at least that's what Kadaj thought at first glance. His skin looked purpleish and his eyes looked like the Shadow Heartless that lurked around here. He was a bit taller than Kadaj too, though that didn't really matter in the long run; Kadaj could take down opponents no matter their size. He kept his grin as the other entered, the Heartless man's voice sounding happy to see him. Well, that was a first.

The next question was of course more interesting, the silver-haired fighter watching as the other summoned his swords. Oh, he would love to play; that sounded more entertaining than bothering to have a conversation. After his swords were summoned, he charged at Kadaj without a second thought. He liked this guy; he got straight to the point and asked questions later, following a very similar pattern that Kadaj did. Using his quick reflexes, he waited until the last possible moment before unsheathing Souba and blocking the attacks, continuing to grin as he held that position.

"Oh you bet I will," Kadaj replied to his last question with a haughty tone, "Though, I don't play very fair." He swung Souba again at his new opponent three times from three different angles and positions with his typical quickness, just giving this guy a bit of a small taste of what he could do. Heartless man wasn't like his typical opponents, ones he fought to kill and utterly destroy. No, this was more like play; this was how the two would become acquainted each other instead of through meaningless chatter. Kadaj wasn't sure what would result from the end of the fight, but he didn't really care at this point; he'd find out later.[/blockquote][/size]

[Administrator]

Ooh, he's sharp. So is his sword...as are mine.

Ava blocked the first two with each katana and barely dodged backward in time to avoid the last strike. He looked down and noticed a small cut on his stomach. "Not bad," he said, admiring the work. "You may make a good playmate yet." He crouched backward before springing himself forward, both katana ready to attack from different positions, one slashing from the left, the other from the lower right.

"My name is Avarice Entropy, but you can call me Ava. All of my friends do, or, the ones that aren't dead do, anyways..." His voice trailed off on a little sad note before he continued his assault with renewed vigor. Maybe he could make friends with this one and they could be the bestestest buddies evar~

Ava mentally shook his head. There is no time for childish thoughts now, I need to focus on fighting this man. He seems to be better than all of the rest of my previous adversaries. His eyes took on a hardened edge as his attacks gained more focus and seemed to get more accurate. Too bad he hasn't shown any powers I could duplicate. That might have been useful. Well, even so, Ava was fairly certain he could defeat the man.

So concentrated on the battle was he that he didn't notice the ichor slowly dripping from the small wound on his stomach, darkness combined with random shifting colors, signifying the Chaos ever-present within him.

[Fate]

Salutations Through Swords

Ava, as he learned his name to be, managed to block most of his attacks, the last one actually getting a hit. This caused Kadaj's grin to remain longer, his sword held in his hand and facing away from him. Ava wasn't an average fighter by any means, which meant he would have to work harder to defeat him. Sure, he had two swords and he had some speed on him, but Kadaj was confident that he could still win. They were both just using swords here after all; no abilities had been triggered at all.

Kadaj managed to block both of the katanas most of the way, the second one getting him a little bit. He made a small "tch" noise before bringing Souba around to hit from a few different angles with only a somewhat serious look on his face. If one was watching this fight, one could see that both fighters were taking it seriously but yet were enjoying it all the same. This was how they greeted each other, or at least how Kadaj chose to. Both of them were certain that they would win, but it was hard to say realistically.

"You have friends? I don't think I do; everyone who meets me tries to kill me," Kadaj replied as he kept up his relentless attack, his voice rather jovial still. "None of them succeed though. Name's Kadaj." He had to work a bit harder to block Ava's attacks now, which started to get more accurate. Kadaj worked with them, blocking them and then trying to find an opening; Ava was fast, making everything more fun for Kadaj and much more of a challenge.

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[Administrator]

Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the blades...but which is which?

Ava grinned devilishly, attacking just fast enough that Kadaj wouldn't have time to get his own strikes in. He was lucky he had two weapons and Kadaj only one, otherwise he would not be doing quite as well as he was. Even so, they were evenly matched, and, from the looks of it, neither had a distinct advantage due to speed or strength. Kadaj may have moved twice as fast as Ava, but he also had one half the amount of weapons, and therefore, they moved at equal speeds due to such. Neither of them was significantly stronger or weaker than the other, so that ruled out strength.

All that was going to decide who would win now was their mind, and both of them were well-suited to battle. It seemed neither was going to win any time soon. Ava decided to change his tactics slightly to compensate. Slashing a last slash with one blade, Ava drew the blade back before the attack was completed, jumping forward and to the right, slashing at Kadaj with both blades as he jumped past, then drawing his blades up for the inevitable counterattack.

"Well, my friends are always with me. I took their hearts with when I left," he said as he waited for the assault to continue. "I play with most everyone I meet, and most of them can't keep the game going long. But you are fun to play with." His face stretched farther, almost impossibly, as his grin grew. "You keep the game going as long as I can. You're fun."

[Fate]

Oh I Think I Earn That Top Spot

This fight wasn't going to end anytime soon; Kadaj knew this to be a fact. Ava was managing to keep up with him through the use of both of his swords, which definitely was not common. He of course felt he was better because he could move this fast with just one sword and that he didn't need two, but he'd save that tidbit for later when he didn't have to focus on the fight. It may not have been a serious fight and they weren't out to kill each other, but Kadaj always liked to give any fight the utmost focus.

He watched as Ava changed tactics on him, quickly bringing the Souba around to block the attacks. That was all he could manage to do though, not truly able to parry or try to lodge one of Ava's swords in the middle of the Souba's two blades so he could disarm him. Though, he was able to attack again, this time jumping in the air to bring his sword down on Ava. His attack was countered, which he suspected would happen anyhow. He grinned to this, continuing his assault as he attacked with the Souba at a lower angle this time.

Wait, did this guy say he took the hearts from his friends? Didn't that sort of make him a Heartless? It wasn't that it bothered Kadaj since he didn't have much of a heart himself. It was just sort of fascinating to see almost a humanoid Heartless, one that was sort of like himself. "Not many can go for as long as I can," he replied, attacking from the top right this time before going at Ava from the side. "No one else likes to have fun with me. You're the first one; you should feel special." He kept grinning wickedly, laughing a bit as he went for the left side this time and then the center, keeping up a steady stream of relentless attacks.

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[Slash]

Annoying Distractions

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Furiae stirred, woken by the noises emnating from downstairs. She had been hiding in the castle for a while- it was her favorite place in Radiant Garden, and held an air of power and mystery to it. Sometimes Heartless showed up- she always dispatched them, pleased that she got to constantly keep up fighting here.

But now, some idiots were making noises downstairs. Well, no matter. She'd just deal with them accordingly. Perhaps she would let one live to tell about their horrible defeat, if he was willing to run away. If they were both fighters, she would use them to hone her skills further.

She walked quietly downstairs, holding her scythe, Iceheart, to her chest. The cold steel and bone did nothing to warm her, instead seeming to sap warmth from her. She liked that. Being cold made her feel at home.

She stayed carefully out of sight, watching the two fight. Well, how interesting. Both were certainly formidable. One was certainly human- the other was strange. He looked like a man, but his clothing and eyes were reminiscient of a Heartless and he bled strange colors. Now here were some worthy opponents. She went into view and spoke calmly.

"How very childish. You've disturbed my sleep with your incessant noise," Furiae stated. Standing there, holding Iceheart, she certainly looked like an interesting opponent. Her shoulder-length hair was as white as snow, her eyes the color of glacial ice. Her pale skin appeared even paler with her black clothing- she looked like a wraith, some creature born of ice and cold, the blizzard it came from represented in its appearance.

This, of course, was totally deliberate. She had a reputation as the Demon of Winter, after all, and she had to look the part.

"Will you stop and tell me why you are here? Or should I simply kill you both and be done with it?"

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[Administrator]

To the victor goes the spoils...but who's Victor?

Dodging to the side of the blades, Ava dropped his swords and a giant grin spread across his face. "You are my best friend!" The blades dissipated into darkness before they touched the ground, almost a split second before such, in fact. The child-mind was back, and in full force. "I'm a Heartless, and you don't have a heart, and we both are made of Darkness! Don't you see what that means?"

Just in case his new best friend didn't know, he shouted it aloud. "IT MEANS WE'RE ON THE SAME SIDE! Wanna go kill some warriors of the Light and bathe in their blood? Or something else that normally occupies your time at this time of day? I'm partial to mass murder myself..." It was a piece of his fourth mind, the intellectual mind, the one that hardly came out. "I think our partnership would be mutually beneficial. I think I speak for all of us that make up the being of Avarice Entropy when I say that I would love to kill things by your side."

The moment he finished, Ava noticed the newcomer. She looks like she might be able to put up a bit of a fight. Nothing like Kadaj here, though. "Hey Kadaj...wanna help be rip out her heart? I promise it will be enjoyable~" The tilde was able to be heard in the sing-song way it modified his voice. He completely ignored her, her being a useless flesh bag anyways. All she was good for was her heart, which would taste succulent with a glass of red wine. Or by itself. Either way, it would be delicious.

[Fate]

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

The attacks went nowhere, Ava dropping his blades. While it was tempting to hit Ava with Souba while he had no weapon to defend himself, Kadaj resisted; he only followed through with things like that when he was fighting an actual enemy. Ava wasn't an enemy at this point, not having done anything to Kadaj to tick him off or try to kill him. He had entertained him and played with swords with him, the remnant's favorite way to pass time. The two of them weren't as different as the people Kadaj usually met; they weren't dripping in darkness like these two were.

Mass murder, eh? He liked this guy. He could only help but grin at Ava's proposal, his Souba still held in his left hand; it could use some sharpening and there were some warriors of Light in this world that would be perfect for it. He waited until Ava finished his proposition, cocking his head to the side with that sick grin still plastered on his features. He was being smart then; Kadaj considered people who aligned themselves with him smart. It would be unwise to pit yourself as his enemy at the very least and having him on your side almost guaranteed victory. Kadaj never called anyone friends, but this guy would be great to have fighting and killing with him.

Before he could answer the proposition, someone else entered upon the scene, causing him to scowl slightly. Who did she think she was, talking to Kadaj like that? She talked like she owned this place, which just was not true; he did! Sure, Maleficent technically owned this castle, but Kadaj considered it his more than he considered it hers since he was the one doing all of the work against the entity of light. And then she thought she could just kill him, just like that. He smirked maliciously, pacing around the room now like a predator with the Souba still in his hand.

"So sorry to disturb your slumber," he said slowly, sarcasm dripping off of his words, "We were just having fun. Besides, this is my castle. I don't remember inviting you." He still talked cheerfully, stopping his predatory walk and looking over to Ava. "I think we should. She's intruding on my castle. After all, this would be wonderful way to start our partnership." He kept his Souba stationary, not starting the fight; he always let people try to hit him first and let them think that they could.

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[Slash]

Who Do They Think They Are, Anyway?

Furiae sighed and stretched. Iceheart would enjoy tearing into these two. "A pity. I expected the owner of such a castle to be much more...formidable, shall we say. Nevertheless, your blood will look quite nice on my scythe."

She stood motionless, appearing bored but in reality bracing herself for a fight.

"I'd appreciate it if one of you would start, but I can understand if something as pitiful as a Heartless and a man who stoops so low as to make deals with the pathetic beasts would be frozen in fear by one girl and her scythe." She noticed the hidden pun a tad too late and decided to ignore it. These two were certainly strong. A worthy challenge, no doubt. Maybe they'd even draw blood. It had been a long time since someone had been able to do that.

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[Administrator]

Play time.

Darkness oozed down the Heartless' arm, and he stared downward, watching it drip. It dripped down from his hands, forming icicle-like shapes, before solidifying fully in its true form, his twin katana. Ava's head lifted slowly upward, a wide grin spread across it for all the world to see. "I suppose it is time to play now, then." He laughed, a hideous sound, and, in a smooth motion, lifted the blades up and charged, rushing at the woman at top speed.

He slashed both blades at her, one from below and one from above, setting up the beginning of a beautiful combo. One way, Furiae would get hit by one of the slashes but block the other. The other way, her blade would be held in place for Kadaj to either attack her, or he could use his souba to disarm her, leaving her open for Ava to strike.

Either way, she would be fun to toy with, if only for a short time.

[Slash]

Pathetic Creature

Furiae saw the attack coming straight at her. She blocked one of the slashes, but the one that had come at her from above had held her in place, he scythe stuck. Such arrogance on the part of the Heartless. It had set itself up for a painful attack- at close range, too. It was very early to be using this move, but at this range it should at least incapacitate the Heartless.

"How weak do you believe me to be, creature?" she said quietly. With that, she used the one spell she knew. Great ice shards formed around her in a circle. Then, simultaneously, they flew at their targets- 2 at the non-Heartless, while the rest went straight at the creature who was holding her.

She used the advantage to move back. Whether or not the shards hit, in an enclosed space the exploding shards would cause some decent damage.

"My heart is not yours to take, abomination."

[Fate]

Something's Gotta Give

Oh, he wasn't formidable to her? Kadaj couldn't say that he minded that too much; besides, it wasn't any fun if the people he fought were scared of him before they got to know him. He liked fighting those self-confident fighters and tearing them down, showing them exactly who they were dealing with. She was particularly confident that she could make him bleed, something that didn't happen too often to Kadaj and he didn't think it would happen today. He kept a firm grip on his Souba, waiting to see what she was going to do with that scythe of her.

"But I was only being polite," Kadaj told her, still smiling. He wasn't one to fear anything, especially not some girl who walks in and says a few words. It took a whole lot more than that to make him scared; Kadaj wasn't even sure what scared him since it was such an uncommon feeling with him. He didn't really care either, not bothering to ever figure it out. If your enemy found what you were afraid of, they could use it against you; he knew that all too well. A lot of people were afraid of death and he was often the one to throw it back in their faces.

Ava started the fight eagerly, Kadaj standing by and watching as he usually did. His brothers were the ones that often started fights while he stood by and watched, waiting for the perfect opportunity to enter. Ava would provide that opportunity shortly. The girl managed to avoid getting her head chopped off with her scythe and was even kind enough to send an attack his way. He jumped out of the way, the last bit of the explosion from the shard enough to give him some momentum with the damage.

"Two against one isn't very fair," he said, landing on his feet. He kept his grin, using his natural speed to his advantage and attacking at least three times in succession from different angles; if one of his attacks missed, it was a safe parry or block. "But you already knew we didn't play didn't you."

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