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.]

queenscheckmate: we are young (foresaken silence; no faith)

[personal profile] queenscheckmate 2011-01-26 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Kallen sighed. "If you believe that to be true, then take my life for revenge."
warpwhatsir: (☆ kage mane no jutsu! oh. wrong fandom.)

[personal profile] warpwhatsir 2011-01-27 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Revenge?" He tilted his head. "Oh no. It won't be revenge. It'll be or the sheer pleasure of watching you die." In the blink of an eye he was lunging at her with the blade. What are you going to do, Kallen?
queenscheckmate: we are young (trained to fight; trained to win)

[personal profile] queenscheckmate 2011-01-27 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
She closed her eyes, willing accepting the defeat that was about to be delivered to her.

Or it looked like that.

Once he was close enough, she opened her eyes. She moved out of the way too late (on purpose), the blade cutting into the flesh of her arm. She brought up her hand to take hold of the foil and struck Sulu with a blade of her own: her concealed pocket knife to his 'heart'.

"Sorry. I get the feeling that Sulu would be pretty pissed if I died right here. So for him, I have to keep going."
warpwhatsir: (☆ kage mane no jutsu! oh. wrong fandom.)

[personal profile] warpwhatsir 2011-01-27 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
She was quick--disturbingly quick and he didn't have a chance to block or even see it coming. The dark Sulu got one last choking breath out, the foil dropping to the ground with a clatter. There was nothing but hatred in his eyes, his expression one the complete opposite of his real self.

"You... bitch."

The last words out of his mouth were slurred and faint, body twitching once around the small blade before he went limp, whatever fake life surging through him snuffed out.
queenscheckmate: we are young (game face on; bring it)

[personal profile] queenscheckmate 2011-01-27 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
Kallen shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I've been called worse."

After the shadow was gone, she fell to her knees, dropping her own knife and covering her arm. The blood seeped through her fingers like a waterfall. She needed to find the others so she could regroup with them. But for now she had to stop the bleeding before she would be on the verge of death itself.