[Round Zero: part 2]

[utopiamods]

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]

Comments

[bitofafiction]

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.

[utopiamods]

"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.

[bitofafiction]

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.

[utopiamods]

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.

[bitofafiction]

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.