utopiamods: (The right way to fight Exaclan)
Rakuen Moderators ([personal profile] utopiamods) wrote in [community profile] rakuen2011-01-24 01:48 pm

[Round Zero: part 1]

At noon on the rest day, every screen in the campus lights up. It's the girl from the introduction again! She's grinning fit to burst, and her voice is bright and excited.

"Good morning, everyone! Round Minus-One is now officially over, so we'd like you to all report to the lobby for a special announcement, immediately! It starts in ten minutes, so don't be late."

The screens all go blank, before simply displaying the flashing text ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO THE LOBBY FOR 12:10.

Reaching the lobby, you find it empty of the usual staff. However, the doors to the tramstation are blocked by a large stage, spanning the entire south wall. In the centre stands the girl, in the flesh and just as sickeningly cheerful as her broadcast.

"Hi, everyone!" She waves, tilting sideways as she does so, and then clasps her hands together. "Wow, it's really great to see you all in person at last! You've all tried a lot harder this week, and it shows! We're really, really impressed with everyone. Ah, even though there was a bit of cheating..." she pouts, and shakes her head lightly, "But that's okay. We forgive you! You all know better now.

"But what we've called you here to say is this! We've been working extra hard too, and we've gotten a lot done with your help. So much that we're nearly ready for Round One!

"However..."

She's still smiling. It's a little unnerving, "We have to do some maintenance first, okay? And I'm afraid it would be a problem if you were all alive for that... you could cause us a lot of problems. So we're going to get rid of you for a little while. Think of this as a final test!"

She snaps her fingers, and your shadows disappear. No, not disappear. That's the wrong word. It's more like... they're abandoning you. Nearly forty pools of darkness flow up onto the stage, and suddenly explode upwards in tendrils and globs of black. The girl laughs as they finish changing, as they take on your shapes. As they reach into themselves and pull out inky replicas of your own weapons. They all laugh with her, in the emotionless tones of the Voice from your dreams.

"You can all draw your own weapons now, okay? Fight hard!"

[mod notice: NOW EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS OOC POST BEFORE THEY REPLY.]

willbeurprincess: (tis the face of a DETERMINED GIRL)

[personal profile] willbeurprincess 2011-01-25 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
"I-I have to try!"

Koharu scrambled backwards, already moving to duck out of the way when Mai distracted her shadow. What could she do, how could she help? Her breath caught in her throat and her hands shook as she leveled her rifle at the shadow, firing again.
dancingflames: (【Event】 Cast by light; lost to darkness)

[personal profile] dancingflames 2011-01-25 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
Koharu's bullets should have missed. Koharu's aim would have taken it straight past the fake Mai, no problem. Only the shadow wasn't quite paying attention to it, as there was something else that seemed more pressing.

Mai had let out a second blast of energy towards her shadow just before the blonde fired her rifle. Dodging away with a smirk, the false Mai flew directly into the trajectory of one of Koharu's rifle rounds, which grazed her arm. While hardly a fatal shot to a human, the shadow screamed in agony, "You bitch!" and promptly disappeared into a wisp of black smoke.
willbeurprincess: (it's pretty much sucky slavery grenn)

[personal profile] willbeurprincess 2011-01-25 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
Koharu took a deep breath and let the rifle lower. She'd done it. She'd hit something and killed it and protected a friend and everything. The giddy feeling in her chest bubbled up and she wanted to smile, to jump up and down and find Sora to tell her, but there was probably another shadow where that one came from and wasting time was wrong right?

"You're okay, right Mai?"
dancingflames: (【Concern】 What's going on?)

[personal profile] dancingflames 2011-01-26 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
There was still fighting going on around them, but at least the immediate threat was gone. Mai relaxed just a tiny bit and turned to her roommate, though keeping her eyes ready to watch for any approaching shadows.

"I think so. These things though..." she responded, trailing off before changing thoughts. She quickly glanced over Koharu concernedly for any obvious wounds. "You didn't get hurt did you?" She would feel somewhat responsible, seeing as that thing looked like her.