School (G7), Okishima Island, 5:36 AM
Outside the school building, the charred remains of a vehicle smoldered. Even now, a chemical scent hung over the lawn, and there was a wide scorch circle in the grass. The walls of the school were blackened, the glass windows shattered, but the reinforced armor plating that covered them had not given way.
It was not especially uncommon for students to lash out, so those in charge had to be prepared. The distance from the school to the edge of the forbidden zone it sat in the middle of was enough to impact accuracy, but bullets would still be able to reach with lethal force. Students were assigned explosives.
They had to account for what would happen if someone just dropped one in the hallway. So the soldiers wore armor, and kept a close watch, and reacted quickly when it seemed like there would be trouble. They moved away from the point of impact, and they readied fire extinguishers, and nobody was seriously injured.
Still, the crash and blast had shaken some of them. It was a reminder that there were angles they might not see coming, avenues of attack that actually could succeed. The sides of the building had been fortified, but what if an attack came from above somehow? What if the damage had come closer to something critical?
Anyways, the soldiers were tense, now. They were ready for this to end, to shuttle whoever was left away and leave the clean-up to anyone who returned here afterwards.
School (G7), Okishima Island, 6:00 AM
"Sakamochi here. Hello hello."
The voice of the coordinator was chipper and bright, maybe even more so than normal.
"You've been busy. As a matter of fact, there are only four of you left. That means more than two thirds of you died since last time we talked. Well, you're close to the end now. Just a little more.
"Here's everyone who died:
"No. 3, Tatsumichi Oki.
"No. 15, Noriko Nakagawa.
"No. 1, Mizuho Inada.
"No. 18, Fumiyo Fujiyoshi.
"No. 15, Shūya Nanahara.
"No. 9, Hiroshi Kuronaga.
"No. 17, Mitsuru Numai.
"No. 6, Yukiko Kitano.
"No. 6, Yumiko Kusaka.
"No. 21, Yoshimi Yahagi.
"Now I will share the forbidden areas. Oh, you're really running out of room, aren't you? You'll want to pay attention. Only four of you are left, but if you drag your heels, then the decision will be made for you.
"At 7 AM, in just an hour, H-8 becomes forbidden.
"Then, at 9 AM, H-6.
"At 11 AM, D-6.
"At 1 PM, D-8.
"At 3 PM, F-3.
"At 5 PM, as evening approaches, E-2 will round us off.
"This is the final stretch. You'll want to make sure to do your best. This will be over very soon, one way or the other, so don't worry too much, okay?"
The mic cut.
Weather: 6:00 AM, Day Three
As dawn arrives, the clouds above the island unleash a drizzle of rain. The air is thick and humid, and it's chilly and gloomy. Stronger breezes add to a generally unpleasant atmosphere, especially now that everyone is stuck outside.
We are now in Endgame. Given the time of year, we're going to start the Endgame activity clock ticking on January 1, which means we expect a thread to be started by the 7, with typical Endgame activity enforcement following. Endgame will be held in the Orchard, and areas close enough to fall under the same umbrella (and the same subforum). The other specific areas have been marked forbidden, and with the bisection of the island upon the crossing off of D-6, there are few enough places to go that In-Between is also functionally forbidden.
To the Endgamers, good luck, and have fun!
Finally, New BRAU Hammers are coming soon, and will be linked here when they're ready. Stand by!
