[center][img]http://i65.tinypic.com/ppurm.jpg[/img] [color=F0E68C][h1][b]Makoto Kanemaru[/b][/h1][/color][hr][hr][b]• Post 1 •[/b][hr][hr] [/center] [b]"Wrong, all of you"[/b] the senior instructor declared. [b]"the answer is-"[/b] [b]"A miserable little pile of killings, of course! But enough talk... Have at you!" [/b] Makoto glanced up as another woman flew in from behind. Another red head. Wasn't that hair colour supposed to be exceedingly rare? Soon after the alluring red haired yokai touched the floor, she began to ramble on about screwed up plans and sleeping on the floor. With food. Something similar to that. Being the overly prepared man he was, Makoto's father had already packed her some late night snacks, so this girl wasn't going to go hungry any time soon. A bento box slumber party in a totally not suspicious looking academy? She could deal. Even after the two red heads left the soon-to-be students to their demise, Makoto could still hear bickering in the background. Although she seemed like the sort of person to watch a fight or even break one up, she decided not to linger. Becoming Kanemaru sushi on her first day didn't sound at all appealing. Or appetising. Anyways, she had an entrance exam to prepare for. Eat, sleep and get the hell up before you're left behind. That was her current plan. As much as she wanted to start speaking with the interesting sprinkles of people lying around, food and a good few hour's rest would be much better. Heck, if this was a serious, [i]serious[/i] test then she would most likely come out alive of this eerie entrance exam. [color=F0E68C][i][b]I guess I'll just decide to sleep for the rest of the evening and let my mental alarm clock do the work. There will be a successful outcome, of course. I hope.[/b][/i][/color] [hr] 2:00 AM Makoto's eyes snapped open at exactly two on the dot, or something close to that. Heart pounding and brain on a 'late for school' type overdrive, the girl slipped her arms through her grey leather jacket. Makoto had always been one of those easy to freeze types. Simply put, all Makoto really had to do was get to the finish line inside the four hour and thirty minute time limit, find a card and try not to die on the way. These were actual ruins, of course! Who knew what could be lurking behind the battered rocks or torn down houses? Still, this wasn't a challenge Makoto was going to back down from. She believed she had enough confidence in her abilities. Hopefully, they would be enough. Then, the shot was fired. If she was going to survive for the next few hours or so, she was going to have to keep her energy flowing at a steady space. No rushing ahead or sprinting into the unpredictable darkness. Gripping the handle of her [i]shinken[/i], Makoto took in a lungful of air before trekking into the desolate danger zone. [hr] Ten minutes or so passed by, and Makoto seemed to be lagging behind. In the short time span she had already seen many other teens sprinting past, while she, on the other hand was continuously searching for these so called tarot cards. In all honesty, she didn't mind [i]too[/i] much about the team she would eventually end up in. She could talk with anyone, even if they wouldn't want to talk with her back. That's just how she was. It was probably about time she got up and started to move again with the others. If she continued to search every single damaged house in sight then she would get nowhere. Especially if there were pesky robots trying to cut her down. [color=F0E68C][b]"Oh… [i]God.[/i]"[/b][/color] If that cracked mirror hadn't been in her line of sight she really would have become a bloody plate Kanemaru sushi. As the humanoid robot swung its sword down, Makoto managed to swerve out of the way, crashing into a dirty bookshelf. The robot only continued to swing, and Makoto would find herself literally rolling around the trashed room. [color=F0E68C][i][b]Not good. Not good at all. If I can just try to outrun this machine for a minute then I should be able to–[/b][/i][/color] The β drone wouldn't even stop to let her think. Rude thing. Time to bust out of the withering house. Makoto could hear her own heart about to explode from the adrenalin. She kicked the wooden door down with ease and did a barrel roll onto the dusty pathway. All that was on her mind now was to run. [color=F0E68C][i][b]Run! Run for it![/b][/i][/color] Fifty seconds. The drone sure was a persistent one. Its mechanical sword slashed at Makoto as it got closer. As she ducked, she could swear she saw a strand of her hair drifting to the ground. Forty seconds. Makoto looked like she was going crazy, her eyes looking in at least five hundred directions at a time. She then came across another trashed home, and a pretty stable looking one at that. If she could speed up a bit more then maybe she could take cover and regain some of her energy. Thirty seconds. Sweating buckets, Makoto darted behind an empty bookshelf, breathing much faster than usual. Sword still in hand, the girl tried to remain silent, when the small robot smashed its way in. Freezing up colder than her snow white skin, Makoto squeezed herself into a tight, not so little ball. To her surprise, Makoto noticed it walking away after peeking from behind the her hiding place. Quite unusual. Very fishy. Still, this was her chance to escape. Going full on ninja mode, Makoto crept up to a window, trying to peer above it. Big mistake. The blade shattered the window, forcing Makoto to shift to the side. It would beat away the wood above her with one deadly strike, leaving the tall teen exposed underneath. [color=F0E68C][b]"A-Ah… Good morning?"[/b][/color] Great. It was just going to be another repeat of the previous house situation at this rate. It was probably best to take this womanly fight outside instead. Zooming past, Makoto made it out, currently twenty metres away from the sword wielding robot. She immediately took her stance, eyes locked on the drone. Her left hand tightened around the handle a bit too much, whilst her right remained under the guard. [color=F0E68C][i][b]It's just a robot, Makoto. You can defeat it. Just put your right foot out and swing like… swing like how mother taught you.[/b][/i][/color] As she slid her right foot forward the robot threw itself at Makoto, ready to bring her head down with its blade. There was no way she was going to be taken down so easily, though. [color=F0E68C][b]"Kanemaru Style, Sacred Touch:"[/b][/color] Lunging forward, the drone readied itself for a deadly swing. [color=F0E68C][b]"Slashing Mode."[/b][/color] Bringing up her sharpened sheathed [i]shinken[/i], the robot's chest sparked where blood would have poured out from on a regular human being. Gripping the handle with two hands, Makoto brought the scabbard down and sliced its metal head. Now that was how you butchered a robot. [color=F0E68C][b]"Phew, that was a kinda surprising!"[/b][/color] Makoto exclaimed, finally able to breathe again. However, the battle wasn't over yet. [color=F0E68C][b]"What?"[/b][/color] Two drones of the same kind came charging in, swords in hand and ready to kill. Makoto panicked for a second, almost losing the grip on her sword. [color=F0E68C][i][b]Note to self: Improve your reaction time dammit![/b][/i][/color] [color=F0E68C][b]"Impact Mode!"[/b][/color] Strengthening her sheathed sword, Makoto thrusted the pommel into the front drone and swivelled around to pierce the one from behind, sending it flying into a crumbling wall. To her surprise, the front drone's head was still intact, so she delivered a downstroke to end its not so lively life. [color=F0E68C][b]"All right. [i]Now[/i] I have the chance to breathe."[/b][/color] Glancing up at the blood coloured moon, Makoto sighed. How many more miles was it to the finish line now? Suddenly, something familiar caught her eye. She'd seen it before; an old house with dangling rusted letters as a sign. Makoto had just taken a few too many steps back from the finish line ten kilometres away.