Here are your songs of the week:

Five Karots

Musician: The Flashbulb

Step Artist: mi40

Song Length: 1:28

Difficulty: 5

Morning Run

Musician: The Flashbulb

Step Artist: Psychotik

Song Length: 2:35

Difficulty: 44

Skyfire Ace

Musician: Sabrepulse

Step Artist: visD

Song Length: 2:23

Difficulty: 73

Rave 4

Musician: DEV/NULL

Step Artist: Matthia

Song Length: 2:48

Difficulty: 94

Enjoy!

-psychoangel691

Hope you’re all having a great week, and good luck to everyone who’s back in school. There’s a couple new items that were just added to the merch shop, so be sure to pop by and check those out!

Here are your songs for the week:

The Basement Guitarist

Musician: The Flashbulb

Step Artist: Pizza69

Song Length: 1:18

Difficulty: 34

Robert Desire

Musician: 403

Step Artist: Ghost_Medley

Song Length: 2:37

Difficulty: 59

Reflective Moment

Musician: Is-m

Step Artist: M0nkeyz

Song Length: 1:59

Difficulty: 74

Blackmagik Blazing

Musician: Camellia

Step Artist: Psychotik

Song Length: 4:23

Difficulty: 102

Enjoy!

-psychoangel691

1st songs of the week for September!

Passengers [Easy]

Musician: Acid Paradox

Step Artist: Deamerai

Song Length: 2:24

Difficulty: 10

*Skill token: AAA Passengers [Beginner] to unlock [Easy]*

Elesis Theme Song [Future Bass Remix]

Musician: The Musical Ghost

Step Artist: M0nkeyz

Song Length: 1:44

Difficulty: 45

Hate Castle

Musician: Rainbowdragoneyes

Step Artist: PrawnSkunk

Song Length: 2:49

Difficulty: 65

Visitor

Musician: Virt

Step Artist: DarkZtar

Song Length: 4:01

Difficulty: 82

Enjoy!

-psychoangel691

Hey everyone!

Man what a crazy 8 weeks it’s been. We had some ups and downs but overall I hope you all had a great time during the official tournament. Huge thank you to all the simfile authors for their content, thanks to our event staff for helping get people placed, and of course, thank you to everyone who participated this year.

Congratulations to this year’s winners, if you haven’t already please reach out to me with your token choices and for first place winners shipping info and shirt size so I can get your prizes out to you asap. All the other prizes should have made their way to you guys aside from the badges, we should have those all set later today.

Songs of the week have also returned! We’ve got 4 new songs for you this week, check em out!

Gymnopedie No.1

Musician: Frums

Step Artist: Deamerai

Song Length: 1:33

Difficulty: 2

Mephisto’s Grace

Musician: Clonepa

Step Artist: M0nkeyz

Song Length: 2:03

Difficulty: 72

drivin’FTR

Musician: Yamajet

Step Artist: bmah

Song Length: 2:13

Difficulty: 81

Frictional Nevada v2

Musician: Venetian Snares

Step Artist: Shxfted

Song Length: 1:51

Difficulty: 97

Also, don’t forget the FFR merch store is live! We just recently added zip hoodies so go check that out too!

-psychoangel691

The soundscape was invaded with a low hum, before the familiar voice rumbled throughout their land.

“You invalids have been traveling without a cause for weeks and somehow managed to not completely eradicate one another yet.”

A deep, unsettling chuckle spoiled a brief silence.

“Truth be told, I’ve been watching you all. The size of your groups is much more appropriate for your final tests. The drop ships that carried you to this space will be within view momentarily. Depart with the pilot if you care to continue.”

D1: Twilight

The cave’s illumination became a growing brightness as the remaining competitors swam through the nearly crystal clear body of water. The ambiance of the stagnant and tepid water was frequently interrupted with deep breaths and occasional gasps from the competitors having to resurface after tagging the briefly illuminated lights well beneath the surface. Individuals that took a long swim down remained at mercy of the sequencing, hoping to catch the light and rush towards air to breathe. While all 11 individuals managed to find their way to a lit square underwater, not all of them made it back to the surface; a few overzealous individuals attempted to breach the surface but blacked out either just before breaking the surface, or just after, only to sink back to their permanence.

Drenched in place, the 8 remaining individuals boarded the circular platform that took them down to the cave in the place, riding it back up to the crystal structures that initially surrounded the platform. As promised, their carrier awaited them. Boarding in a single-file line, it closed upon entry of the 8th individual, ascending vertically but hovering in place.

“Where are we going?”

“Shut up.”

D2: Cherry Doll

Hobbling away from the northern edge of the prison, the remaining 8 members of the faction troddled about to their west. The large cliff peaks they crossed remained within view, following them in all their largeness as they moved in parallel to the cliff side. As they briefly crossed over the uphill trail they followed to get into the prison, they were met with a substantial increase of wind, the open air between the mountain gaps serving as an effective wind tunnel.

The sound of idling engines could be heard from a distance, though it was difficult to discern through a recently built up fog. Conveniently enough for the party, their westernly route proved to be a correct one, as the open hatch of the drop ship was welcomed within view, awaiting entry. The 8 remaining members populated the ship, causing the hatch to shut when occupied, resting directly above their rendezvous point.

D3: Opia

Visibility began to increase as the remaining competitors sliced through the densest part of the jungle, lowering the threat of danger as previously hidden sightlines began to show themselves as vacated, clear from any threats. The last body to exit the dense forest marked a count of 8 individuals that managed to survive the ambush. Finally clear from the abundant risk from the wilderness, the east path they took lead them to a body of water, not too unfamiliar from a similar one they drifted away from to arrive in this generally destitute state. Within the scope of unfamiliarity, they had managed to stumble across a small, barely inhabited island.

Shifting their feet within the sands, a dull roar of a resting engine could be heard; a few hundred meters in front of them, a towering aircraft much like the carrier that dropped them into their experience could be seen. The group sprinted towards it, feeling some sort of homeiness in a single bit of familiarity. With doors shut, it too began to hover, appearing to idle for some sort of signal.

D4: Sakura Fubuki (Arrange ver.)

Following the eastern path down from the southern edge of the prison, the more experienced fighters hobbled away from what would be considered by many, a failed ambush attempt at a group of inexperienced combatants. By numeric accounts, their losses were greater than those they attacked, as their faction had been cut in half when reconvening at the exit of the facility. Arriving at a fork in the trail, the group took a brief glance in an attempt to determine which path would be the correct one.

The party would be given a subtle guidance with an artificial winter wind that mildly obscured the path forward. Approaching nearer to it, the intermittence of propellers were heard in the distance. They advanced forward, bringing the sound into greater prominence — arriving at the large dropped door with seats to internally be filled. Closed doors with passengers lead to the hovering of the vehicle over their rendezvous point.

D5: Marianas Trench

Having lost a good majority of comrades to the unrelenting aggressors, the 8 remaining competitors explored the lost arena which appeared to be an architectural beauty during its heyday. Concerned about the lack of activity and largely fearful after the tremendous resistance previously faced out in the open, the group opted to stick very close to one another, shifting about in a stalwart defense. A rumble corresponding to some fallen foundation cut open the lack of sound, startling the individuals further into a tighter grouping.

A gentle droning became a known presence, with whatever responsible clearly moving closer and closer to them. In anticipation of yet another mortal threat, the group shifted to an attack position, waiting to strike. A growing shadow cast atop them as the sound grew to overwhelming loudness, blocking out a good majority of the natural light in the process. A large, silver-colored drop ship awaited with an open hatch, inviting the remaining competitors a seat and a very temporary break.

D6: Armageddon

The darkness plunged the remaining gladiators into absolute chaos, each and every one of them chomping at the bit to land a fatal blow against the enemies within their blindness. Unbeknownst to them, the force was nothing more than an insufficient mental fortitude, flailing about in futility hoping that it would save them. Body by body, the group size began to shrink by way of cruel and truly blameless strikes amongst their own. The energy controlling the lack of light compelled those still among the living for their attention once more.

“Cease your thrashing and hear my words.”

“When you wake, not all will wake with you. But you are strong. Your sorrows will be short lived, either in life or death.”

The blanket that had taken away all of their visibility began to naturally disintegrate, with silence transitioning to a high-pitched sound, arriving to a familiar state of normalcy soon after. Bodies splayed along the floor, seven of them, remained lifeless. The remaining ones had not heard the announcement amidst the curse, but were able to spot the aircraft meters away, being invited by the initial pilot that dropped them off earlier.

D7: Line-Epsilon

The path proved to be a treacherous one, as their forward advancement was continuously interrupted with a void that repeatedly crossed along the chasm connected by the bridge. It grew increasingly larger, forcing the party to move as quickly as possible — bracing for each impact would eventually be the death of them. At the halfway mark, the party noticed the bridge bowing downward, putting them below the ground line and out of sight from their destination. Those who remained motivated managed to progress blindly within the growing emptiness, while others would lag behind the front-runners who had no other interest beyond getting through the gorge.

An airborne vessel peered within view approximately three-quarters of the way through the bridge; other bodies remained far behind, feebly attempting to progress. Those outside of the front 8 started to fall as the exhaustion brought them first to their knees, collapsing as they were systematically robbed of any remaining life forces.

“Your prize.” All of the heavily breathing competitors slotted themselves into the ship, taking solace in the brief safety they had.

D8: Zygourous Distribution

The synthetic material beneath their feet resonated strongly enough to vibrate beneath their feet, producing an uncontrollable rumbling that made it difficult to stand. The tunnel defied normalcy as sound seemed to travel very slowly within it, suffusing the constricted area with a thundering boom that refused to break apart. Moments later, another explosion occurred, clearly delineating the separation between the man-made echo chamber and the outside world. Seconds following that, an additional blast followed — with nowhere for the sound to filter outward, the pressure in the area continued to grow. A few bodies dropped from the brutal, unending pressure, while the others were desperately shielding their ears, the least of their worries being hearing at this point.

Arriving at the end of the tunnel, the transparent doors on each side opened up, allowing the sound to diffuse outward into eventual nothingness. To the left of the tunnel exit, a ship brazenly marked with “8” remained in wait, doors open. The remaining group members walked their way in, superhumanly unaffected by their experience. The doors shut, and the ship rose.

The eight ships remained in their hovered position momentarily before taking paths towards a central convergence point, giving the remaining competitors ample time to breathe and contemplate the various traumas they had experienced. The game runner’s words reverberated through a few of their minds. “You invalids…” It served as an effective fuel and recharge to those who had energy zapped away from them.

The relaxation was short lived, as the convoy converged along the outside of a circular arena, each landing in a very specifically designated spot. Entrances were evenly spaced for the number of factions: eight in total. This was very clearly manufactured, as aimless as the travelers had been. The groups retreated from their corresponding aircraft, each following a narrow, underground walkway that appeared as a very traditional maintenance area, filled with an amalgamation of pipes and a myriad of smells. At the end of each walkway was a square, grated metal platform. They rose synchronously, revealing the champions remaining from each faction.

This land was not desolate: far from it. Massive crowds erupted in cheers as the best of the best showcased themselves for the first time; they were eager to see the groups representing some of the most apt contenders of all time.

“Step forth.” Audio filling the arena brought the crowds to a dull roar, silent by the standards of a gathering of this size.

“You all are about to embark in a series of battles where previous preparation will not be an indicator of your success. All you have is your brains and your brawn.”

“There are… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of you…” The game-runner kept counting in sequence the remaining size of the factions, noticing with a keen eye a strange anomaly in one of the groups.

D6 Round 5 Tiebreaker: floating point (Drumcorps Remix)

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8… 9? You all had one job to do and couldn’t do it?” The announcer was clearly irritated but also dealing with an exceptionally growing impatience. The members of the sixth faction stared around, uneasily shifting and fidgeting.

“Stop.” All motion ceased at the barking of the order, as the announcer’s voice paused momentarily. The pilot of the 6th faction’s dropship emerged within the arena, pointing a single finger at two of the remaining fighters, directing them to the center stage of their portion of the arena.

The announcer had a deep, dark laugh. “Looks like we have a pre-game. Fight to the death.” Both of the members glanced at one another, not eager to make any motions, uninterested in the all demises they had seen once before.

“Either one of you takes the other out, or I’ll end you both myself.”

Round 7

D1

Atmosphere

Musician: Godspeed

Step Artist: Ghost_Medley

Song Length: 2:11

D2

Brostep Strikes Back

Musician: Gammer

Step Artist: Psychotik

Song Length: 2:35

D3

Circle Pit

Musician: Venetian Snares

Step Artist: ositzxz369

Song Length: 4:33

D4

E-Lectixilent

Musician: Se-U-Ra

Step Artist: Elekton

Song Length: 2:28

D5

Railing

Musician: Nvoise

Step Artist: ositzxz369

Song Length: 1:52

D6

Forgotten

Musician: The Ghost of 3.13

Step Artist: Wiosna

Song Length: 2:24

D7

We Want To Run

Musician: Frums

Step Artist: Gradiant

Song Length: 4:05

D8

Isometry

Musician: The Algorithm

Step Artist: hi19hi19

Song Length: 3:08

Tiebreaker

breathe

Musician: qfeileadh

Step Artist: AutotelicBrown

Song Length: 2:19

Bonus Files

Bus Rides With…

Musician: Nick Bertke

Step Artist: Deamerai

Song Length: 2:06

The Greet and Eat (Boss Theme)

Musician: Hyperduck Soundworks

Step Artist: M0nkeyz

Song Length: 1:54

Round 8

D1

Eine Kleine Funkmusikk

Musician: Teetow

Step Artist: M0nkeyz

Song Length: 2:25

D2

Ex Nihilo

Musician: Fractal Dreamers

Step Artist: visD

Song Length: 2:01

D3

Benson & Hedges (Venetian Snares Remix)

Musician: Shitmat

Step Artist: ositzxz369

Song Length: 3:21

D4

Malignant Tumor

Musician: Spire

Step Artist: M0nkeyz

Song Length: 2:16

D5

Q.E.

Musician: Frums

Step Artist: Pizza69

Song Length: 2:27

D6

INSANE INFLAME

Musician: Camellia

Step Artist: DarkZtar

Song Length: 2:47

D7

Sinthasomphone

Musician: Venetian Snares

Step Artist: Shxfted

Song Length: 2:07

D8

Revenge

Musician: TC_Halogen

Step Artist: TC_Halogen

Song Length: 3:32

Bonus Files

adolescent person

Musician: Is-m

Step Artist: bmah

Song Length: 2:43

Happy Arnold=)

Musician: Reizoko Cj

Step Artist: hi19hi19

Song Length: 2:51

Gamma Stop Giving Me Hard Bags

Musician: Kurorak

Step Artist: Ghost_Medley

Song Length: 5:08

-TC_Halogen & psychoangel691

Hey everyone!

The FFR merch shop is now live! Click the banner above to check it out. There’s already a lot to choose from and we’ll be adding more as time goes by, so be sure to check back! Everything in the shop is being made in house by me rather than us buying from some big mass distributor. What’s great about this is it means more customization for you guys! You can add on your username, division, a special date, or any other significant text! If you have any issues at all with anything regarding merch don’t hesitate to reach out.

The other thing I wanted to bring up is that there have been some exciting changes made to the batch submission area. Now when you open a batch up you’ll see there’s color-coding making it easier to see the status of your file, it’s also now sorted by simfile author and you can see the date of your last update right there on that page too. Great for if you’re unsure it went in or the last update you’d made. The best update in my opinion though is that we can now put file judgments directly into the system as well as judges being able to change the status and put a grade in. This is going to streamline judgments and make it easier for us to get them to you faster. It’s also going to be great to have them all centralized in one area rather than spread out over threads. You can see an example of a judgment done in the sub area here

-psychoangel691



D1: Preset Junkies VIP

While no imminent threat appeared to present itself anywhere around them, the previously transporting platform had risen well out of reach from everyone. The clarity of the water body allowed for all the fauna beneath it to shine with striking vibrancy, whose illuminations were largely enhanced by various chromatics that appeared and disappeared in a noticeable sequence. The shimmering of the water made it increasingly difficult to discern the location and patterning of the colors.

One of the group members unintentionally stepped on a one-foot by one-foot panel as it was alight, flipping the color from a bright red to a fully-diffused white that did not waiver. A loud sound filled the airwaves as the previously hidden platform took a minor descension. Other square-shaped platforms of differing visibilities were found all throughout the cave body, lighting a noticeable color before shifting to another location.

Underneath the surface, the purity of the water masked the depth of the body, making some of those lit platforms appear much shallower than they actually were.

D2: Oedo Hop

The group continued about the prison interior, scanning the various neglected cells for anything of interest that could grant insight about their decided travels. Uncomfortable with the setting around them, the remaining members kept a relatively tight distance to one another, with the occasional wanderer finding themselves enthralled by the unfamiliar landscape. Creaking and cracking in their corresponding locations brought on bouts of increased anxiety that had them peering over any blind spots.

While the ambient resonance was initially sporadic and inconsistent, the frequency and distance brought about an air of concern; it was sufficiently clear that their conditions were about to get much more hazardous. Shortly after, a horde charged the corner and began a vicious assault, catching them entirely off guard.

With both groups sustaining a large amount of damage and casualties, they retreated from one another in the direction of their entries; the remaining party opted to take a westerly route from the northern entrance, following the wall accordingly.

D3: Snorestop

The single blow dart caught into the tree was the first of many fired at the party; various members scattered for cover, trying to eliminate any potential sightlines that would result in any bodily harm. The tips of the darts had a noticeable shine and were harshly pointed, with the bodies being slightly padded for an easy grip, offering an option to be shot as a projectile or wielded as a throwable — in any case, most certainly meant to do lethal damage in numerous ways.

The terrain was much too dangerous to take on any sort of fight: the lack of familiarity was a substantial disadvantage and exposing themselves was most likely fatal. Communication from the attackers could be heard clearly, but was indiscernible as a result of being a native and undisclosed language. In an effort to convene on an eastward path, the group found themselves having to cross wide open areas, where sprinting through them immediately triggered a storm of projectiles fired at them. A few were struck by these projectiles in various locations, but the strike point didn’t matter — in mere moments, they simply collapsed and were left behind.

D4: Hornet

Shielded from view by the lack of lighting and pillars identifying the walkable area, the split groups progressed down their designated paths, not running into any contenders along the way. The front of both lines waited at their corners, peeking outward to gain visual recognition from one another, waving each other along. The half-sized groups crept nearer towards their intended convergence point, eventually landing on a set of perpendicular paths that would bring them en route to the group that just barely beat them into the interior.

Unified into a single group once more, their motions increased in pace after gaining line of sight on a single individual. Carrying a respectable trigger discipline, the members took their time on their motions inward, sidling the single individual down the various clearances until the individual became multiple. Their efforts in slinking around to find the early intruders was a fruitful one: with numbers clearly in their favor, the group aggressed with tremendous vigor. However, they fared substantially worse than their size would have suggested, as their more inexperienced but seemingly more eager opponents presented respectable resistance, resulting in a near stalemate of losses.

Neither group seemed to carry interest in prolonging the fight that would whittle their team further down. Nearly all of the remaining members of the southern faction swallowed their pride and exited from the southern entrance, following the wall down an eastern path as much as the terrain would allow.

D4 Tiebreaker: eccentric ghost channel as Poltergeist

Two of the members responsible for the ambush stared at the remains with exceptional skepticism, dumbfounded that their group was torn apart as strongly as it had been. Both of them glared at one another in their tremendous fatigue, agitated at one another’s presence. They both smelled a rat.

“It was you.” They both charged at one another relentlessly, trading blows with intent of stopping only when the other gave in to their wounds.

D5: Naive Hopelessness

The highly aggressive paranormals grew increasingly desperate in stoking the flames as their hivemind awareness was able to feel their strengths dwindling. The hue of the landscape began to sharpen to a much more pure red around the fighters still among the living, oranges bleeding into that intensity. The remaining members continued to advance out of distress from the closing flames from behind them, finding inventive ways to make the presences of their attackers disappear. A few members found themselves unable to fight off the demonic ghosts, succumbing to a variety of burns and other painful injuries.

Valiant efforts began to be accommodated for as the group made headway against the spirits, eventually causing the ring of fire to diminish in strength and tightness. As the stifling of their attacks continued, the remaining apparitions engaged in highly raucous screams in reaction to their realization of fighting a losing battle, clearly picking a fight with powers too far beyond their means. One fighter walked up to a single apparition, punching into it with their bare fist — the sizzle of their hands coming at a small but fair cost: purifying the surroundings from their continued danger. Surprisingly, no damage was truly accumulated amongst the surroundings: the group was victimized by some sort of possession.

Directional senses had clearly been taken from them amidst the panic, as they found themselves outside the premises of a large coliseum that, given the state of other structures along the way, was in rather good shape. Vast plains presented them no guidance of direction, making it the only viable progression. “In we go.”

D6: Cobra Commander

Simply breathing was nothing short of terrifying, as nearly all senses appeared to be affected by whatever witchcraft was precipitated through that unfamiliar reading. Sound and sight were gone, with senses of feeling being restricted to the ground beneath their feet. A deep voice spoke through the confines of the remaining competitors internal thoughts.

“They destroyed me. You’re not safe. You’ll be betrayed as I was.” The voice continued to repeat with varying levels of pitch and timbre, becoming increasingly difficult to discern the message, but no matter: it was the same, paranoia-inducing line.

The group hopelessly wandered with full uncertainty in all directions: they were boxed in by some sort of barrier, contents unknown as if they were put into a cage. The party members ran into each other, with the mangled speaking intensifying upon contact; their initial and unsurprising instinct was to strike the form in front of them out of their own safety, as the concept of a friend or foe was entirely uncertain, and not something they wanted to leave up to chance for their lives. Some of the brawls got quite violent, with a few members opting to grab in hopes of holding and ending the life of whichever body was unfortunate enough to get into their way.

D7: Vantablack

Loud roars from behind their bodies continued as the monsters awaiting behind the closed doors persisted, likely reveling in their victory over the unfortunate mortals that found themselves unable to defend themselves. The group continued along an east path, departing the lengthy structure that went on for as far as their eyes could see, wearily checking behind them to ensure that the dangers presented were in fact removed. Natural light was for the most part gone, with their environment being flooded with spotlights. Concerned about potential threats, the speed of which their movements occurred was noticeably reduced.

Their advancements were cut short as they arrived at a bridge, revealing a very smooth dome-like structure in the distance at the end of it. The crossing was most certainly non-trivial, the bridge spanned nearly a mile in length. With no clear destination in sight, they all departed from the castle grounds and followed the thin span over the chasm. A third of the way across the bridge, a wall of black accelerated towards them; bracing for impact, the group held the edges of the bridge, allowing it to pass through. There was no visible light through this void, nor air to breathe either. As their lifeforce began to drain, the edge of the system passed over them, restoring their vision and providing opportunity to refocus. They gasped for air, desperately trying to fill their lungs before being deprived with another void passing over them as they pushed forward, draining their energy further.

D8: Track title

Gradually, one body after another, the ravaged group began to stand with full disorientation. No deduction could be made about the amount of time the party experienced the loss of consciousness. Three of the bodies hit with the impact upon landing from the travel of the platforms did not resuscitate, lifeless on the new surface. Unlike the more dark, natural and earthy ground they were walking along before collapsing, this new surface was clearly synthetic and was very much more vivid and quite smooth.

Stumbling forward, many of the members stumbled suspiciously. The material under their feet was occasionally separated much like sidewalk blocks with longer regions of coverage between each chunk. Going over each separation, most of the members were frazzled out of fear of blacking out at a misstep similar to the one that happened moments ago. The open space eventually turned into a tunnel that entirely surrounded them from all directions. Once they breached the entry, a transparent barrier went down, sealing their retreat.

An explosion could be heard in the distance; however, the visibility or cause of it was less the threat than the sheer sound, which seemed to be entirely unable to filter itself from the shaft. The air slowly became more difficult to breathe and moving was even more difficult.

-TC_Halogen & psychoangel691

Before we get on with our story, did you drown in that awful yellow sea? Fear not! You can still play along with the Revenge of the Drowned Tournament

D1: Tap on Damen

Sudden cognizance of the figures within the shimmering being threatening, parallel representations of themselves was the precursor to the necessary evasive action, dodging the beams of light that appeared from the clouds to the floor — no one took a particular interest in determining whether or not they were safe. The intense pace of which the figures transmuted from their crystallic nature to semi-realistic figures made it difficult for the actual competitors to determine who were friends and who were foes.

Uncontrolled attacks along the fallen crystals broke them to pieces, clearing out the initial surrounding around the central platform that they remained on — unfortunately, some were struck in the friendly fire. Taking in the losses with a melancholic silence, the platform accepted the remaining presence and descended downward. Upon arrival at the bottom of the floor, the platform briefly lit up to blinding levels, revealing a beautiful cave with an exceptionally vibrant body of water; it was crystal clear and a visual to behold. With everyone stepping off, the platform disappeared backward, now inaccessible to the party.

The serene waters were inviting, not to mention the fact that there was nowhere else really to go.

D2: Breakout [Standard]

Apprehensive at the thought of traversing the race track with the continuous, imminent dangers of the barely visible vehicles, the competitors paused, attempting to discern some sort of audible pattern that might indicate any semblance of a safe crossing. A number of facts became immediately apparent: there was more than a single machine speeding along, and their speeds were nowhere near parallel, making the two required crossings no less dangerous than two games of Russian roulette. Numerous bodies were flung from the tremendous impact of the vehicles, whose speeds were so high that the collisions did nothing to slow their speeds.

The remaining inexperienced but eager fighters still among the living signaled north towards a pair of cliff peaks, following a downward hike to an almost-stranded prison with a walled off perimeter. Upon closer inspection, an entry was visible – the walls around it were scorched but otherwise intact. They continued onto the path towards the interior, wandering around the frail interior that had naturally decayed.

D3: Bad Boy

The remaining competitors continued to drift in the water, only needing to keep themselves afloat with a casual paddling from time to time; unfortunately, that required an understanding of actually being able to tread water, a process that not all of the group seemed to be able to possess. Some found themselves struggling to keep their heads above the surface, being victimized by the much stronger undertow the further away they were from the top – eventually running out of strength to continue the fight.

The remaining members arrived to shallower waters en masse, able to combat their exhaustion by standing on their own feet. They found themselves at the foothold of a jungle, with nowhere else to proceed after being washed ashore. Concerned with the minimal lines of sight and lack of vision from height and in front of them, the group proceeded with vigilance, keeping their eyes peeled. Navigating into the depths of the wilderness, a subtle zip passed by a set of ears, landing with a resounding crack on a tree behind them. Removing the object revealed a pointed blowdart, etched with various tribal markings.

D4: Breakout [Heavy]

A myriad of emotions overtook the competitors as they awaited some sort of mortal peril; most of the group trekked in a relatively similar direction beyond the pillar, eyeing up their surroundings to ensure that nothing would get a jump on them. In transit, the group splintered off into two uneven sizes, numerous of them disappearing with no sign of reacquainting. They followed the forest-like plains in a southward direction to an upward change in elevation, one that steepened as their travels grew. At the apex of the climb was a tall and substantial barrier topped off with barbed wire that secured the entirety of the structure. However, it had failed to keep out (or in) highly motivated individuals that opted into tunneling underneath the walls of the fortress some time ago.

The group scattered through the various tunnels, very quickly arriving in the same location: the inside perimeter that revealed the backside of an abandoned prison. Peering along the edges, it was clear that the northern barricades had been breached, and much to their chagrin, by mere moments. Their southern entry into the interior put them immediately along the same path as the northern intruders — carefully creeping inward, they signed a flank towards one another, taking opposing blind spots, en route to an ambush on the clearly less experienced group.

D5: Smash and Burn

The intensity of the conditions befell a substantial chunk of the group as everyone began to charge through the area as quickly and aggressively as possible in an effort to free themselves from the growing pain. While the chanting ceased, the danger as far from over as the dangers not only began to amplify, but also multiply. Apparitions resembling the same red-orange hue materialized into and out of view with a resounding grinding sound — despite reasonable consideration that the threats overtaking them were nothing beyond their own crazed thoughts, the difficulty of party’s escape was augmented further by the insurgence of presences preventing their leave.

A substantial ring of fire spawned along the party, close enough for a few of them to move inward in avoidance of the searing heat behind them. One member desperately swiped at the moving specter, causing it — and all of the destruction it caused, to disappear.

D6: looming shadow of a tree long gone

With the entrance of the neglected city being a death trap, members of the party were instructed to travel in a single-file pack with the leading member holding a strong source of light in front of them to expose any other obscurities. Numerous characters defied the orders going off on their own way and unsurprisingly, found themselves to be caught as expected by a variety of trip wires, light traps and other creative contraptions designed specifically to inflict substantial harm. Those remaining attached at the hip continued forward with care, navigating with extreme caution.

Progressing on the western outskirts of the dismantled city, threats appeared to be entirely mitigated. The faction eventually began losing light pulling further away from the heavily light polluted metropolis, deviating towards an oddly uniform path of trees that nearly formed a tunnel from tops touching one another. A few meters in, the path opened up to a large and nearly empty grassland. In front of them, the stump to an absolutely mammoth tree that likely predated any sort of man-made activity around them stood. The top of the stump had a piece of wood affixed to it, with a message etched inside of it. One of them attempted to read it:

“Ugcpd ug nrlvniog rls B eqnc nanvog pmj bvbq uygdvmuj.”

Suddenly, all light around them disappeared and presented with an ominous silence so deafening, everyone was able to hear their own heartbeats beginning to race.

D7: Chronomia

The monstrous figures within the interior of the castle were able to show their true colors as a result of the dimly illuminated surface. Their bodies resembled those of a gargoyle’s, with a substantial increase in fortification being coated in some sort of metal. Frequent attempts at swinging and swiping maniacally at all of the unfamiliar bodies made it abundantly clear that these creatures suffered from a severe impedance in vision, relying much more heavily on the sounds of their surroundings.

The members crept forward along the dimly lit paths along the ground, bridging their impacts along the ground as quietly as possible in an effort to remain out of sight; the group found themselves moving forward in the direction of the opposing exit of the castle interior. It extended quite far horizontally in both directions, making it most certainly not within their interests to overstay their welcome. The fastest approach turned frantic as a result of a misstep, causing the monsters to punish a few unlucky souls in the process. Those who made it out alive were able to take solace in the fact that they had no interest to continue their pursuit.

D8: I’m A Fucking Idiot

Searching the basin and all accessible contents within and around it yielded absolutely nothing, as there weren’t too many places to travel without being interrupted by an untraversable rock face. There was an almost uncanny serenity in their current resting spot, with only the moderately paced chirping of crickets in the distance being the only interruption of the ambiance. The hovering platforms served as an elucidation to their continued travels; there was no other choice.

One by one, they carefully bounded off of each platform, centering their gravity before proceeding to the next comfortable platform. Landing on them produced a gentle wobble that was in itself mildly nerve-wracking, but not an elicitation of fear. As the other edge of the basin came within eye-shot, the platform spacing widened, forcing a bit more of a strain on the jumps and landings. One final jump, and…

…incomparable pain. Each of their bodies remained still landing on the other edge of the basin, absorbing the shock without granting any immediate indication of danger, with their vision simulating that of a psychedelic hallucination. With the last body set, a loud snap shocked the soundscape. All bodies fell instantly, completely without consciousness.

-TC_Halogen & psychoangel691

D1: Change Yourself [Light]

Traversing carefully across the barely illuminated and veiled path, the fog obscuring the depth and distance of the cliff began to thin itself out. Three fewer bodies arrived on the other side of the long-winded path, at least having an ability to see the ground beneath them now. The previous translucence along the competitors’ feet spanned into thin, equidistant coils, lighting the way to a chamber in front of them that had a platform affixed to the surface center. Without a clear path forward, the remaining members did the only logical step.

Convening in the chamber center caused the nearby area to flood with a substantial amount of light, obscuring the vision beyond the platform; after the light diffused, they found themselves surrounded by lightly clouded crystals towering above their head, showing what appeared to be their reflections — except, they didn’t quite stay in sync.

D2: TURBO

The previous insanity of the fauna gradiented downward, eventually leveling out to a much more familiar height. Left behind in the densities, five bodies were consumed by eager and hungry plants, though not an easy meal under any circumstance. Pushing away the final life-sized branches revealed a circular strip of track that at a glance, seemed untouched for quite some time. The competitors looked around briefly at their surroundings as they progressed through the area, skeptical of the unusual tranquility. Advancing with caution, a single step onto the road produced a thunderous sound reminiscent to that of a high-powered engine. Unidentified objects began to pass along the track at an exceptional speed, barely visible within each rotation.

D3: MIDI Beach

Clearing the windswept deserts left the competitors in a highly famished state. Pushing forward, the color and vibrancy of the surroundings increased tremendously, to a degree that they believed the mirages were unending. Continuing down the same northward path, the group navigated into a much more lavish appearance, stepping on warm sands and walking through deepening waters. Numerous players continued moving forward until the water ran over their heads, where an abrupt inhalation of water sent the less attentive voyagers into coughing fits.

The seas washed the competitors away from shore – while they were not the roughest, the intermittence of the shifting tides made floating in them rather annoying and more importantly, tiring.

D4: Pizza Hat

The chaos within the open layout stopped, with all displays on the left wall shutting off, filling the room with a very sudden silence; 12 bodies succumbed to the damage left from the impacts of the blasts. The still-standing parts of the party trod cautiously through the building, ending up on the other end to be met with a lot of sunlight. Immediately to the right of their exit was a single pillar, with a sequence of dots etched in a square plaque.

. ….. ….. … ….. . … .. . ….. …. .. . … ….. …. … ….. . ….. ….. . ….. .. … . . ….. …. …. .. …. .. … … . . ….. ….. … …. … .. ….. . … …. … ….. …. ….. . .. ….. . ….. ….. ….. …. … ….. . … .. ….. … .. …. .. ….. …. … …. … .. … . . … .. … ….. … ….. . … ….. . . ….. …. .. ….. … . ….. … ….. …. . … .. . … … . ….. … . … …. …. …. … . . .. …. ….. .

D5: Ani Mevushal

Dangerous encounters with the alluring garden were not without casualties; while a good majority of the party made it out unscathed, a few were left on their knees gasping fresh air past the man-made tunnel, now entirely filled with an invisible yet unbreathable vapor. The rattled competitors did not have much time to take a break, nor did they have the ability to reel over 15 more of their own gone.

With minimal time to recover, it became immediately clear that the mortal danger was far from over. Slow thuds began to rattle the area as the sky began to morph into a reddish-orange tint; the soundscape slowly filled with chants of varying distortions. The remaining members all began experiencing a myriad of discomforting visual and auditory incoherencies, with the heating of their own bodies at the surface becoming slowly more prevalent.

D6: Trap Funk

At the helm of the brutal turret, the magenta-donned femme fatale operating the destructive gun managed to tack on 12 more tally marks before disappearing from view. In the wake of the intense battle, the group was finally able to exit the ultramodern metropolis with northward progress, quickly arriving at a dysfunctional mirror of the overly extravagant city they were in mere minutes ago.

The voice of a single competitor cut through the lack of sound. “Stop.” At command, the entire group gazed uneasily at the initiation of the command, following a well-focused flashlight provided by the one initiating the order. It initially revealed a thin but visible beam of red light, with the angle revealing a lattice-like pattern that didn’t have a clear origin.

“Get back.” Clearly familiar with this situation, they tossed their flashlight into the barrier of beams. No sooner than the plane was broken, thin blades poked upwards of 15 feet from the ground. The remaining competitors stared in shock at the near miss of being human skewers.

“Shocker.” Their gaze spanned into the booby trapped city, making brief contact with a decrepit statue of a well-dressed gentleman pretentiously curtsying. Clearly they have a history.

D7: HeadXplit

The entrance into the structure brought no relief to their lack of sight — leaving the castle exterior brought them into complete darkness with the main gate being no longer accessible for a swift escape. To make matters worse, the only sense of location the fighters had was their positioning relative to the high-pitched, shrill screaming from the beasts shrouded entirely in darkness, with every step easily being the last without any indication.

An intensified, shrill screech echoed through the imperceptible walls of the structure, followed by a tremendous slam along the surface they stood on – a hit so strong, even the ground beneath their feet could do nothing more than ripple at the sheer magnitude of the force; parts of the area beneath them began to expose the familiar, magma-like brightness in small lines, breaking the darkness just enough to show the monsters in question. Positions were no longer unknown, on either side.

D8: J-CORE SLi//Cer Technique

Sparing absolutely no interest in the growing infestation, the fighters wasted no time in ravaging the cluster of unknown along the cave face. Without any sort of abandon, they sliced through the bulbous sacs lining the area in front of them, clearing the initially obscured path. The tips of the stalactites began to rise, suggesting that the cave top was disappearing out of the minimal vision the lack of light was providing.

The group’s path of advancement was that of a few meters, arriving at a basin that contained cleanly split diamond-shaped platforms, colored very similarly to the land along the edges of it. They were spaced approximately a full stride for those of average height, lying roughly a foot above the surface of the water, The tide appeared quite calm at the surface — while the depths of the body were not immediately clear through the dimness of the natural light, it was clear that the water itself was quite clean, and deceptively nonthreatening.

-TC_Halogen & psychoangel691