rakuen | [Round Zero: part 2]

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[Round Zero: part 2]

Those of you who managed to survive the massacre stumble outside in twos and threes, leaving the bodies of your friends and family behind. Some of you remain behind, too injured or broken to move further. The campus is bathed in light, deep red and purple, with shifting clouds and a thin layer of mist curling around your ankles and across the paving stones. Just discernible over your harsh breathing is a low, dischordant hum. The air is resonating with it, as the towers around the campus glow the colour of a new bruise.

Ahead of you, sprawled over the courtyard like a huge guard-dog, is a tiger.

Or rather, it is something that has taken the form of a tiger. Real tigers aren't ten metres tall with corpse-blue fur and eyes the colour of the red sky. Real tigers don't smile like this one does.

Real tigers don't laugh.

Its voice is harsh, every word drawn out with the arrogance of a creature who knows that when it speaks, lesser beings have no choice but to listen.

"Admirable," it tilts its head, slowly. Deliberately. "You have exceeded their expectations, but now you are only prolonging the inevitable. You are all still so far from facing me."

It turns its great head towards the lobby, and considers it. "Unnecessary," it decides. "To determine your level I require only these few." Its eyes flash, pits of scarlet, and the building is consumed in fire and screams.

Then it looks towards your group.

Two of your number, knights both, exchange a single glance. A regretful look back at their friends. In unison, they run forward. Chests flash as swords are drawn; at the tip of one shines a star, bright blue.

Suzaku runs forward, not attempting to feint or dodge. He ducks one swipe of a massive paw, slicing along its leg to no effect. The second swipe, vertical, too fast to follow, pins him to the floor with claws through his torso and shoulders. Sora runs left, crouches, jumps...

"Determine this!"

It flinches back from the blade, hisses as her leaping strike cuts a shallow line in one shoulder.

Eyes flash again. Sora screams. She's dust before she hits the ground; the sword clatters to the stones only to vanish an instant later. It writhes around, looks down at the surviving knight for a brief moment, then its head descends, its teeth sink in and tear, and the attack is over.

"Come," it says, with bloody jaws. "See how far you have yet to go."

[YOU KNOW THE DRILL, OOC POST VEGGIES BEFORE DELICIOUS TAGS]

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Huashi pushes Kotarou behind her, but she has a feeling it won't matter. As long as it is fast, then. But then she tilts her head and stares up at the tiger.

"You're no real animal." She says it almost accusingly, weighing her staff in her hand, as if contemplating to throw it. Not that she would.

The tiger regards her coolly. It looks directly at her, paying no heed to her staff.

"What of it?"

It doesn't attack just yet. They will all die, and it will have to happen soon, but there is no harm in... playing with its food, as it were.

"If you're not, why choose that form!" She's not sure why it offends her, considering both her and her father can change shape (in fact, she's currently in a shape not really her true one). She shouldn't complain.

"... I suppose it doesn't matter. It's impressive anyway," Huashi mutters and stares right back at it. She refuses to feel fear, here. Even death can be temporary, after all.

It won't taunt an opponent who's standing so bravely against it. It won't show mercy either, of course, but, hey. Small favors.

With grace and agility that are surprising in something its size, the tiger leaps at Huashi, pulling one paw back to strike at her. A hit from a paw that size, claws or no, is almost certain to be strong enough to do someone in.

It does kill her, and Kotarou too; the only thing Huashi did was to turn him as she hugged him to her so he wouldn't see. She did, though, toss her staff at the tiger. A last show of defiance as it sails through the air. At least she doesn't have to see if it connects or not, or does any damage. It won't matter now, after all.

And Oichi bursts out of the lobby just in time to see Huashi and Kotarou taken out by a massive swipe of the tiger's paws. She'd lost sight of them both in the chaos that erupted as flame engulfed the building, the crackle and smoke and heat feeling familiar, somehow. In a way she cannot place.

So she'd left, hoping for them to do the same, and stands there now, slowly approaching their bodies. An uneven match forwards, her head lolling back as though her neck has snapped. They're crushed, bones broken like twigs in the wake of this creature's strength. She slowly collapses to her knees, hands coming up to fist in her inky black hair, tugging and pulling and yanking her head around.

She's alone. The girl hadn't liked her, Oichi thinks, but fighting together instilled a sort of kinship; they had been friends, even if not friendly. And Kotarou had been the first person she'd really come in contact with here, the first person to show her any kindness.

"Ohhh..." she moans, tears down her face. She slowly rises to her feet. "Why.... why did you have to kill them... Ichi's friends..."

The tiger shows no remorse for what it's done, or for making Oichi cry. It just turns its head to look at her, and its eyes flash; she won't burn for long before dying, but it surely won't be fun while it lasts.

The fire catches most quickly in her long hair; it doesn't take long for her brain to cook, but before it does the agony is unbearable. She tries to put the fire out but there isn't any water and even rolling on the ground doesn't cool the flames. Not even for an instant. And while she does this, she's screaming; screaming and screaming and screaming as the fire eats her up.

Eventually, she stops moving, and dies.

Okay, no. This isn't happening. Her and Suzaku were basically on par in skill level. Maybe she was a little bit better, but the Knight of Zero didn't even get a chance to hurt it. Kallen was in no condition to fight probably. It started with her fight with Sulu. The blade's cut was pretty deep and kept bleeding. When she finally had gotten it to stop, she re-injured her arm during her fight with her shadow and Suzaku's. Soon after that, no healing Kotarou did could reverse what happened.

She lost all feeling in her left arm.

Kallen was down but not out. She had told Suzaku to make a sling for her arm and tie her hand to the gun. That way, she could hold it up, have some leverage, and be able to shoot. Hand to hand combat was just way, way out of the question.

This was bad.

Really bad.

The question of 'What do I do now?' constantly resounded in Kallen's head. They had no plan, they had what weapons they could muster up within themselves, and that was it. In a blink of an eye, two people were killed. They couldn't win. Maybe if they had more numbers and had gotten the medical attention they needed, there would be some sort of fighting chance. They could retreat but where could they even go?

She stepped forward in front of the group. "The most I can do is buy us some time. I'm in no condition to fight, and well, like this I'm just dead weight. Go somewhere safe."

"What's the point in all this anyway? You take us from our homes and kill us? What purpose does that even serve?"

Edited 2011-01-27 20:09 (UTC)

If she was expecting a straight answer, Kallen is going to be sorely disappointed. The tiger turns to her, looking her over briefly. "You must be disposed of," it replies simply. "If you wish to expend your energy, you may try to fight me."

That's right. It has no doubt at all that it will be the victor.

"And for what?" She could go on to say that 'this wasn't fair' but everyone already knew that.

She looked down at herself before she laughed. "'Try to fight'? Trying's all I got left."

"Then come." It turned to her, crouching down and ready to pounce, but it would play fair; since it offered her the chance, it will wait for her to attack before retaliating.

"Go, now!" She yelled to whoever might have been standing behind her. Hopefully no one was there and they took advantage of their conversation to turn and run. Although, Kallen wasn't going to take her chances in turning around. Taking your eyes off the enemy was a big no no in the middle of battle.

A beat passed before she peddled backwards, firing at the tiger. She couldn't outrun it, that was for sure, but she was sure as hell going to try, buying as much time as she could to let everyone get somewhere safe.

No, she absolutely couldn't outrun it. The bullets she fired bounced off its skin without so much as phasing it; it advanced toward her more quickly than she could back away and then lept, snapping its teeth at her to grab her up in its mouth and tear her to pieces.

"Wh--" Kallen didn't even get the chance to get the whole question out. How did bullets not work on it? The next thing she knew was the spray of her own blood and hearing her own scream. A painless death, yeah right. She would have almost wish she was taken out earlier; probably would have been less painful.

But she did well, right? Protected who she could... saved who she could... took out the evil oppressing them, right?

Would her mother, even her brother be proud of her right now?

They had to be...

Right?

'Miracle... A great power beyond reason that makes the impossible possible.'

That was the power Himoto Sora had held. The ability to defy all odds and continuously come out victorious in the end. The one being who had defied the god of Utopia to save the tortured souls that had been the females.

God was dead.

The miracle was dead.

As Tougyu watched both knights fall prey to the tiger's prowess, he felt a heavy weight settle on his heart. The crushing weight of a belief that had gone unfulfilled. He had believed in both El and Sora to some extent, even if he hadn't wanted to. He had depended on them to do the impossible and now all that belief had turned into a crushing, oppressive force on his soul. A weight he could not hold back even as his grip tightened around the stave of his scythe.

As he raised hollow eyes to gaze upon the tiger, Tougyu finally let that pressure seep through him, crushing any and all hope he had left.

"We're all going to die."

Edited 2011-01-27 19:18 (UTC)

Reiko couldn't believe it. Sora was the knight of justice. She was the one who was going to save everyone. She was the one... the one who...

She hadn't noticed Tougyu standing nearby until he spoke, so clearly and calmly it sent a new wave of terror coursing through her. She gripped the morning star close to herself and fumbled for words. "No. No, we're not--we're not going to die. We have to do something!"

"Miss Sora!" It was a cry, a scream of a little boy who had seen more death in the last hour or two than most people see in their entire lives. He had dropped the sweeps brush and his fists clenched up.

She had promised that no one else would die, she had promised and now she was dead. Romeo looked up to see one of her friends; he reached up to touch her sleeve. "Miss Reiko," he had to be brave, but it was so hard. "I'll look after you." He had no idea how, if Miss Sora couldn't do he had no idea how he would manage. "I promise..." he sobbed.

"It is too early for you to have any effect," the tiger said, looking down at the three of them; stating a fact. "You are yet too weak."

It lifted a paw, the movement unhurried and almost bored, and brought it down in a diagonal, tearing swipe; its eyes were already burning as to dispose of any remains.

Romeo stared up at the giant blue tiger and knew for certain he was going to die. Still he tried to keep his promise and as the tiger moved he spun in front of Miss Reiko to try and shield her.

In the end it hurt, it hurt so much but even as he screamed wordlessly in pain he knew that he would soon get to be with Alfredo again and so he wasn't scared at all.

The shriek Reiko let out was long, drawn-out, and wordless. That little boy, a boy, and someone she had never even properly met, had just died to protect her, and for no reason other than she was a friend of Sora's.

"You--!" She shifted her weight, lifting up Belial's handle and staring the tiger dead in its eyes. "How dare you!"

Russel panted, keeping Fletcher near him. He hadn't even been able to catch his breath, yet. He glared up at the tiger as it taunted them, killed the two people most likely to put up a fight, and incinerated anyone that couldn't leave the lobby. And all the bodies left behind. Not that he was personally attached to anyone, yet, but that's just inhuman.

As the tiger began setting more people on fire, crushing them, and chewing them up, he realized there was nothing he could do here. He didn't fire an arrow, he didn't even open his mouth to mock it. He hoped that staying invisible to it would be enough to survive this.

He looked to Fletcher. "We'll be alright," he whispered. "Follow me. Slowly. We'll find somewhere safe."

Fletcher nodded up at his brother, eyes wide with terror, and clutched the shield tightly. There was no way out of this, was there? What if they hid in another building only to have it catch fire around them? His breath caught in his throat as he held back tears.

His brother was saying they would be all right. Fletcher had to believe that for now. There was nothing else he could do.

He glanced over at the tiger as they moved. Hoped silently, desperately, that it wouldn't notice them...

All of their hopes were in vain.

"It will be quick," it promises, landing in front of them in an unnervingly graceful jump. It smiles, gradually, and looks first at Fletcher. Its eyes flare red. The shield flares blue.

The flames rebound and envelop Russel, and Fletcher's only defense fades abruptly. In its mercy, the tiger does not keep him alive along enough to register his brother's death.

Russel had grabbed Fletcher's arm so they could run together when the tiger jumped. Before he could react to anything else, he was on fire. He screamed, screamed, and screamed. Only one word was discernible as anything resembling communication. "Run!" he repeated a few times, before the nylon in the trim of the vest began to fuse to his burning skin. There was no doubt of whom he was trying to talk to, but in his own agony, he had no way of knowing Fletcher was right beside him suffering the same too-cruel fate.

It's quick, but it hurts. It hurts, and the flames rob him of the oxygen he needs to scream or call out for his brother to save him, and...

He manages to grab on to Russel's arm with his free hand, as if that will somehow save him, and then he falls, charred and burnt and dead.

Koharu's grip on her rifle suddenly seemed unimportant. Her body went slack, eyes going wide. A dream. Just a dream right, a bad dream. A nightmare. Sora wasn't dead, because Sora could not die. A knight didn't leave her princesses alone. They prevailed and Sora always won, against all odds, against every odd--

Her feet moved forward, one step, then another, eyes fixed on the spot where Sora just was. Her mouth opened in a wail, tears streaming down her face.

"SORA!"

The tiger stared down at her, not in any rush to strike. It was smiling still, but as before, the expression didn't reach its fiery eyes.

"Were you all stronger, she would have stood a chance," it remarked.

Sherlock listens to the tiger's challenge and watches it kill the remaining survivors without appearing to react. His face is blank and his grip on the hilt of his rapier is painfully tight; he is not sure he remembers how to let go.

There is no chance at all he will live through this. It's not even very likely that he'll do any damage before he dies.

He starts walking forward anyway, one step after another, in no hurry and letting nothing deter him.

"Come, strike me." The tiger doesn't even move from where it just tore apart another student. The body falls to the floor and ignites in an afterthought, and it turns to face him fully. With blood soaking down its jaws and neck, it waits for him.

A small part of him is distantly considering what he might like his last words to be.

He can't think of anything worth saying.

It doesn't surprise him that the tiger is giving him a chance. He has seen what happens when it gives people chances. Very shortly he will be as dead as the rest of them, but that is no reason to be lazy. His sword moves as quickly and precisely as ever when he raises it to stab at the tiger's paw.

The blade passes through its paw as though it were made of smoke.

"You do not lack courage, do you? Regretful. You will never defeat us alone," it rears up, pauses, and then brings down both paws in a final lunge.

He is still trying to process the implications of that statement when the tiger's claws rip into his chest. The sound of ribs breaking doesn't distract him; a second later, as he is falling to the ground, the pain does.

By the time he remembers that it's all right to scream now, he finds he can no longer breathe. All that comes out of his mouth is a choked gurgle and a gush of blood. Must have punctured a lung, he thinks, and does not think anything more.

El was dead. Sora was dead. Kuchinawa was in no condition to fight, given how he could barely stand. So he wasn't even going to try. After all, if this Exaclan was similar to the one in his world, then there's a huge chance that he'd still be alive after this.

Really, why was everyone screaming over in-game deaths?

He sat down on the pavement and watch everything go by through half-lidded eyes. The tiger will come for him soon. It was inevitable. There was no need to put extra effort into meeting it.

He'll have his chance to ask his questions, if the tiger was inclined to answering them.

"How patient."

The tiger eventually made its way over to Kuchinawa, once it had sated itself on the other survivors. Some of the blood on its fur had dried, red and brown specks filling the air whenever it moved its head. Just as he didn't look in a hurry to fight, nor did it; the creature merely sat down and watched him, eyes dull for the time being.

"Oh, I'm in no hurry to die." He watched the tiger as it approached him. It wasn't the fur or the size of the tiger that bothered him. it wasn't his ability to speak either. It was the blood. Somehow, Kuchinawa didn't remember Exaclan games from his world t be that bloody.

He found himself bringing his legs closer to his chest as soon as the tiger sat. "You'll get to me eventually. After all, don't you need us all dead for the maintenance?"

It seemed a bit troublesome to him, though, how they had to use shadows and tigers when the program could kill them all by merely inputting a few codes. Kuchinawa definitely didn't agree with how things were being done, but what could he do?

Mai stares in horror as Suzaku and Sora are easily dispatched. Fortunately it's not looking at her - yet. But against a foe this large, this powerful, she essentially has no hope on her own, unless...

"Kagutsuchi!" she calls out, though not as loud as she normally would. Her Child, if it could come, if the laws of this place had changed enough...

But an answer never came.

Maybe it was too much to think that maybe she would have its power to help...but she tried.

"Help is far away; to whom do you call? A friend, a guardian?"

It paced closer, the telltale sparks gathering in its eyes. She had, perhaps, seconds.

"What does it matter to you, you murderer?!" she spits. Maybe she didn't know them well at all. But they're falling all about her. Her classmates. Maybe they would've been friends...

If only she could fly...The best she'll be able to do run or roll. But she stands her ground, facing down the beast.

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[Round Zero: part 2]

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