[@Bornlucky]

[b]Uchima Senior High - Classroom Building????????[/b]

"You better keep that promise!" she said in a lighthearted manner, smile returning. She had noticed his shock at her proclamation, but the teenaged girl didn't say anything, preferring to simply squeeze Ryoma's arm comfortingly as they continued down the path down the hallway that he had chosen. They were closer to the classrooms now, but all they could see through the glass windows was a pall of darkness, one that surrounded empty desks and chairs. While not all of the rooms had been checked, so far it was seeming as if they were alone in the building.

"Let's keep going," murmured Ai quietly, obviously perturbed by the continued eerie isolation they were in. It was enough that the usually cheerful girl was having trouble maintaining her upbeat and smiling aura for her companion. There were clear lines of worry on her soft face, and her eyes were squinting, trying to look into the dark in the hopes of finding at least somebody else.

"Maybe they're more ahead?" she offered, shooting Ryoma an small and awkward, lopsided grin. "They coul-"

She cut off. She immediately tugged at Ryoma's sleeve, shuffling backwards in an incredibly sudden manner, nearly tripping over her feet again. A streak of fear crossed her face. If Ryoma wanted to know what had provoked such a reaction, [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbIW_HHxizw]he didn't need to wait long.[/url]

[i]Clink.[/i]

[i]Clank.[/i]

[i]Clink.[/i]

Frozen stalagmites burrowed upwards through the wooden floor, deadly icicles materialising in the position where the two third-year students had been standing mere moments before. Footsteps, soft yet pealing, rang out through the darkness, the trill of something that seemed like both ice and metal coming closer and closer towards them, each impact with the planks beneath them sending vibrations through the floor that even Ryoma and Ai could feel. There was a buzzing, chirping sound swept along the air, which was beginning to chill once more.

Two iridescent, bulbous orbs, each made up of thousands of thousands of miniscule, hexagonal eyes compounding together, were the first to emerge from the black. They were embedded within an inhuman helm of azure, one that had a single, blocky protrusion that extended forth from between its "eyes". Where a human's mouth would be was nothing but a vertically dividing line gap, one that opened up in a jagged fashion to reveal nothing but a single golden light in the darkness. Strange slices crisscrossed its neck. Its body followed, a bulky, silver-blue exoskeleton that was slightly hunched over, upper "torso" thickly armoured. Pauldrons, layered one by one, covered its arms, as if an ancient warrior of a long-forgotten past. Its lower body shared that aesthetic, but it was thinner, more flexible, and its two legs appeared to have numerous different sections upon them. Its hands, gauntleted, had feelers brushing across their palms.

Two awkwardly shaped bulges were attached to the scapula, and dangling from one was a bow. A [i]yumi[/i], one that nearly was nearly as tall as the eight foot giant. The weapon was of a material none would have seen before, but it shone in the dim light, shifting from blue to white to black depending on how the rays struck it. Embedded into the torso side was a sheathe, and even from a distance, a blade clearly waited within. It was membranous, shifting with every movement.

The creature looked down at the stalagmites, and back up at the duo. It seem to stare Ryoma, glanced at his bow, before lingering upon the trembling figure of Ai. No emotions could be identified in its inhuman features. Its head moved once more, returning to the stalagmites.

One hand met the other.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Clapping.

And then it stopped.

The thing suddenly waved its arm before it. Powerfully. Firmly. Golden light streaked after the limb.

Three six-legged monsters materialised in the space between it and the teenagers in a cloud of black ooze. Their bodies were creaking in the cold wind, and bits and pieces of brown flaked off them. They were an uncommon sight. Each limb was langly. The 'body' was precariously balanced, a wooden table that could barely be held by the fibrous legs made of different, chaotically-arranged IKEA parts. A head dangled upside down rather than upright, only minutely attached to the edge of the table. Their long, pin-thin suckers extended forth, shaking drunkenly as their entire bodies plodded forth. Three pairs of compound eyes, one red, one gold, were focused on the teenaged duo with one mission.

The armoured thing that had summoned them held up a hand.

Its gesture was a clear request for them to try their luck.

---
[@Suku][@Savo][@JBRam2002][@GarlandDaHero]

[b]NPC: Jihei Okazaki - Drama Clubroom?????, Saturday Morning[/b]

"It looks like our decision has already been made."

Isami had already run off, leaving them behind before they anything further could be said. Okazaki watched her retreating back for a second. He should have felt more concern for her reckless choice of action, but he simply didn't. Even if he was lacking in the proper response (which, given the state they were in, seemed like such a strange thing to worry for), the kendoka had removed every other decision that could've been made. He shook his head, trying to push away the creeping exhaustion that was accompanying the heavy, uncomfortable atmosphere of this monotonous world.

He had no time for that when he was to stop her from getting killed.

"We'll have to go after her," he said, a hint of mild exasperation clearly evident in his tone.

He followed without any need for a reply.

Everything felt far too [i]wrong[/i].

[right][sub]"Vaqrrq! Jvgu lbh, Unanmnjn naq V, jr whfg arrq bar zber sryybj gb or n qrne naq wbva hf sbe guvf Crefban evghny."[/sub][/right]