ROUND 4 - NEW PLAYERS & ROUND CHANGE

[utopiamods]

You're falling, and you can't remember why. It's a sickening feeling that makes your insides lurch; the darkness and the vertigo combine, and all you can think of is a story you heard once, somewhere.

- I remember now. It's a simple story that everyone knows. A legend of a Princess, the Demon Lord who kidnapped her, and the Knight who fought to save her.

The Demon Lord had kidnapped the Princess countless times, but every time the Knight bested his challenges and rescued the Princess.

No matter what tricks and ploys the Demon Lord used, the Knight would always triumph in the end. This was because--

The world tilts on its axis one last time, and the dream slips from your mind as easily as it arrived. A new voice intrudes on your sleep.

"Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. This tramline terminates here; all change. Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. All change."

Sunlight streams through the windows of the long carriage, making the seats almost uncomfortably warm beneath its waking passengers. The air is muggy and thick, the atmosphere deeply tired. Your nausea settles, slowly. The last of the dream fades.

"We have arrived at Utopia. Repeat, we have arrived at Utopia Academy. Could all passengers please leave the tram, as it is terminating here."

The tram pulls to a stop outside the academy station, and anyone onboard is ushered off and directed to the front lobby of the school. You can't miss it; there are signs up pointing toward the main entrance, reading "New student orientation" in big, bright letters. If anyone should care to move off the path, try exploring somewhere else, a teacher will conveniently appear to shoo them back toward the lobby, assuring them that "all your questions will be answered inside".

The lobby is big and spacious, looking more like a university or perhaps a fancy international hotel than a high school. Stood around are any number of students in the uniform of the school. Some of them even look awake. There are several receptionists at the desk towards the back of the lobby, but for now they seem busy with paperwork.

Anyway, the many screens are far more interesting. Once a good number of students are gathered inside the building, they all activate at once to show a cheerful, almost cavity-inducing woman in the school uniform. She smiles, waves, and launches into her speech without further ado.

"Good afternoon to our new students here at Utopia Academy! Thank you for choosing to enroll with us for this, our first semester of the new year. Our battle system is the best in the world, set up for you, our students! I hope that you all had a fun journey here, and that you've all made some new friends! You're going to need them soon, so keep them close, okay?

"Now, I'm going to explain the rules for you. Make sure to listen carefully, and remember, you can find all of this and more in the Exaclan manual!"

She outlines the battle system for the newbies as she has every round previous, then claps her hands. The screen goes blank, and the following appears:

PLAYERS FOR ROUND 4:
Dahlia Hawthorne
Edward Elric
Gino Weinberg
Kanaya Maryam
Lelouch vi Britannia
Rudy Roughnight
Sherlock Holmes
Shiro Tougyu
Suzaku Kururugi
Takuto Tsunashi
Tomoko Oashi
Zoro Roronoa

Comments

[ergaleomancer]

"I don't mind at all~!" she answered cheerily, grinning with the pride of arrogance filling her bearing. "I wouldn't mind being in a battle or two, it sounds like fun, as well~!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku smiled and nodded before going down smoothly onto one knee with a small smile. "I swear to protect you, miss Elizabeθ Buckley for the duration of this round." He looked solomn and waited for Elizabeθ to accept the vow.

[ergaleomancer]

She blinked in surprise at that, but with the level of formality she assumed that it was a necessity of this place. It made her feel a bit feminine, but she quashed that thought in case it was a part of the school traditions regarding weapons in general. She nodded her head, smiling awkwardly. "Thank you, Mr. Suzaku. ...Yes, thank you."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku saw the mark begin to form on Elizabeθ's hand and rose to his feet. He pointed to the mark, "All "owned" weapons get that mark," he remembered something and reached into his pocket grabbing some paper and a pen and quickly wrote a note similar to the ones he had written for Huashi and Kotarou explaining that Elizabeθ could eat desert, and use the gym and the library and everything else.

"It's not fair, but it's the way this school works." He handed the note over with a grimace.

[ergaleomancer]

She took the note and peered down at it, then peered down at her hand and the mark there. Well, as long as she had her freedoms, it didn't particularly matter, did it? "As long as I have my freedoms, I don't particularly care. Each school has its quirks, perhaps this is to teach us humility." Not that she was really interested in learning it, but she could appreciate it in a hypothetical sense.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded, "That might be it," he gave another small smile, "I'm in Black Dorm room 1A if you need to find me. I'll see you around." He gave a nod and went to move off, glad that he had found another potential ally.