rakuen | [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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"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?

[Round Zero: part 2]

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