FFR: The Phantom Challenge

[GamerShadow]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Update: Good news and bad news for you all.

The good news is that there is now essentially a 0% chance of me going to Germany, which means more time to write the story.

The bad news is that if this holds true, you will not get the double feature that I had promised, just Chapter 18. Chapter 19 would move to the following Sunday (aka where it was supposed to be), and the story would continue on schedule from there.

So, in order to post something more relevant, I grant you another glimpse at the upcoming story.

Another glimpse:

“Willpower is the driving force of life. Without a will, only death awaits. Never give up the struggle, because with enough effort, even the gods can be brought down to their knees.” - The late Azzuri, sister of the late Forza (That means dead, by the way.)

My question to you all is this: How does that quote, and the Token which authors it relate to the next chapter? Who could possibly have spoken such words, if both Forza and Azzuri are dead? First person to guess correctly will find a nice sum of credits added to their amount on Sunday at 8:05PM. I will not tell you if you guess correctly.

[buizel8888]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

I lost this thread for awhile. Lmao

I come back to see it more alive than ever. Nice work GS. Can't wait till Sunday.

[GamerShadow]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Due to unforseen circumstances, I am forced to write Chapter 18 in two parts. The first part will be released on schedule and is about three pages long. The second part will be released tomorrow at 9:00PM Eastern.

Edit: I have added part 2 to this post to make reading easier.
=================================
Chapter 18:

The noobs all roared in unison as they charged at the seemingly arrogant Jimerax in an unorganized fashion. Some tripped over others. A few even ended up killing themselves due to falling and snapping their own necks. Others injured themselves, but foolishly decided to continue charging anyway.

Jimerax remained in his stance for a moment before creating a surge of power. He emitted a massive war cry as his fist flew through its first target, instantly ripping the doomed foe in half. Blood gushed onto the ground, and spattered everywhere as other enemies began to fill their place in. But it was really of no use. Jimerax continued to literally destroy the noobs with just one mighty blow of his fists. Each strike released a colossal burst of energy which shook the ground, the air, and the heavens themselves.

One insect of an enemy attempted to pierce Jimerax’s heart with a dagger from behind, but found it swiped away from its hand in a blur before the plunge was even attempted. The repugnant shell of a body never felt a thing as Jimerax threw the dagger through its head, which shattered into innumerable pieces as it dented the ground with sheer force alone, and left a hole in the victim’s head that made a cave seem claustrophobic.

Jimerax then grabbed the body, crushing its ribcage and spine instantly with his ultimate grip, and roared as he threw it into the group of nearby noobs, which were all impaled on the body as if a javelin were spearheading a herd of cows. The resulting pile of corpses skidded on the ground, leaving behind a thick, crimson streak that could be seen from a hundred feet in the air.

Within thirty five seconds, Jimerax had reduced the remaining enemy count from two hundred to ten. The survivors simply stood together, huddled against one another, as if their combined mass would scare the monster warrior away. This thought, of course, was pure fantasy. If anything, Jimerax was now more ready to kill the remaining enemy forces when they were together. Less work, he figured to himself as he pulled out a small satchel that only contained four grey arrows. He took them out, and aligned them in midair vertically, allowing them to shift into their three dimensional form. They each pointed in a different direction, one left, one right, one down, and one up.

The crowd of noobs simply stared at the display that Jimerax was putting on, much like the TGB Militia. Jimerax then lightly tapped each grey arrow, all of which released a red arrow which floated a few feet forwards before fading into the open air. He grinned upon seeing that his test was a success.

“Now,” Jimerax announced as he shifted into what seemed to be an assassination style stance, “kindly allow me to introduce you to the Wall of Death. You won’t feel a thing, by the way.”

With this comment, the man in the ninja attire raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and continued to watch intently, waiting to see if the supposed “Wall of Death” was going to work. Jimerax emitted a final roar as his hands became blurs, and the four grey arrows immediately began to pour out tens of hundreds, possibly thousands of arrows of all colors. The noobs were carved up into atomic slices as they collapsed onto the ground within a matter of seconds. Once satisfied, Jimerax relaxed himself, and ceased pounding the grey arrows, which he shifted back into their original two dimensional form, and returned into his satchel. For show, Jimerax then turned to those that were watching, and bowed once to all of them, wearing a grin on his face that clearly told them that he was showing off the whole time.

There was silence for a moment or two, but eventually, Jimerax received a pleasant applause which came from all directions, signaling that the crowd loved his performance. Jimerax’s smile turned into a grin as he walked back towards the entrance to The Proving Grounds.

Realizing that they had won the struggle for TGB, the Militia all leapt down the side of the rock maw, and met up by the entrance. They shouted for joy, and began to laugh and congratulate one another. Omega and Squeek both heard the joyous shouting from afar, and gave each other the thumbs up and a high-five. Many of the soldiers began to loudly chat with one another, ignoring the sight of the approaching TGB Army, which was still represented by a speck on the horizon. They laughed and cheered, and began to consider who should be named the most valued warrior when a distinctive voice approached from the maw as well.

“Everyone!” The ninja-suited man raised his arms into the air and demanded the Militia’s attention as he projected his voice so that all could hear, “This war is not over. Do you really think that this was a normal noob attack? The forces were much too organized and large in numbers for it to be so.”

The man in the ninja suit received skeptical looks from all as they turned their backs to him, and continued to chat. They proved unwilling to listen to anything that might suggest that more work was to be had. Immediately, the man grew frustrated, and decided that enough was enough. He tore off his facemask with an angry grunt, and threw it to the ground. “You dare disrespect a moderator? Shame on all of you! I am going to reiterate myself one last time. The war is NOT OVER.”

This caused everybody else to turn around, both in rage and in curiosity, too see if the man in the suit was merely a troll, or just a foolish citizen trying to impersonate a mod. However, everybody was in for a shock when they discovered the man to be...

“Shashakiro?” Fido exclaimed as he put his hands over his mouth, but then removed them in order to talk. “You’re supposed to be dead! How... how are you still alive?”

Nobody else moved or spoke. On Shashakiro’s face was a monstrous line which dashed across his eye and down over his nose. A battle scar. His eyes lowered slightly, and he became rather depressed. “You see,” he spoke in a much calmer tone, one that suggested that he only arrived with bad news to tell, “As you may or may not know, someone has released what is known as The Phantom Challenge. The name may not sound dangerous, but this person is responsible for that gigantic attack on The Proving Grounds. And he only has more forces to deploy, all of which I suspect are on their way already.”

This caused a huge wave of concern to wash over the Militia. Many people began to converse amongst themselves with worried voices and looks on their faces. “More enemies?” “Can we fight them off, after our first battle?” The voices grew louder and more chaotic until Shash finally silenced them by yelling and demanding their attention.

“However,” Shash tried to make himself sound reassuring, “The TGB Army, which was previously retaking Chit Chat, will be here in about ten minutes. In fact, if you look in this direction,” Shash pointed towards the now barely-visible aircraft which held the TGB Army, and Reaper, who was still in his dragon form, “You can see them approaching at full speed. They will assist us in defending the final frontier, our home, just as you have all brilliantly done today. Please rest up and ready yourselves for battle. I will inform you when the enemy forces are approaching. That is all.”

Shash’s efforts were not completely for naught; the Militia headed off and did as they were told. They retreated back onto the maw, and began to prepare themselves, while quietly conversing with one another and pondering to themselves on whether this second force actually existed. Squeek and Omega, now able to stand and walk, slowly but surely began to descend the maw and meet up with the TGB Army, as well as Specforces.

As the night sky began to reach its darkest point, and the moon started its journey up and down its usual arced pathway, the aircraft which carried the TGB Army, as well as Reaper and Tibs, who both transformed back to their human forms upon reaching a safe distance above the ground. Tibs releasedJewpin, who experienced a rather rough landing, and Reaper let everybody off before shifting, so as to avoid being flattened from the immense burden that he would have experienced had common sense not kicked in.

Out of one of the aircraft carriers hopped Specforces and GamerShadow, who had just pocketed a flat, circular, and metallic object. Behind them were the various soldiers of the TGB Army, who all jumped down to the ground and underestimated the drop, causing them all to experience slight pain upon landing.

Coincidentally, the group who had been carrying Tokzic’s body arrived at the Proving Grounds just as the TGB Army finished unloading from their respective rides, and after Spec had finished sending his aircraft back to the base in which they were housed.

Tibs immediately registered that something was wrong; there were now two copies of Reaper, standing side by side. He rubbed his eyes and slapped himself in order to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, but the two identical figures simply stood there, silent. Tibs became a little unnerved, but also was confused after the two Reapers suddenly flew together as if by magic, and merged back into one.

Reaper slammed his face in his palm as he wrote himself a mental note out loud. “Next time, remember to send yourself a private thought and schedule a meeting point. I nearly pissed myself I got so scared. Damn token, always pulling surprises on me.” He spoke as he noticed Tibs staring at him in a most puzzled manner.

After noticing Reaper looking at him, Tibs felt a bit embarrassed for being caught in the act. He gave Reaper a defensive “What?” as he raised one eyebrow and positioned his left hand at his hip.

Reaper’s expression did not change at all. His mouth remained perfectly level, and his eyes remained still. “You’re hallucinating, kid. Get some water or something.” He replied to Tibs in a fairly monotone voice, making sure to keep his poker face intact.

Tibs was now highly embarrassed, and would have been further reprimanded by Jewp, who was standing less than three feet away, would have noticed the conversation, had Specforces not began the last meeting of the combined forces of the TGB Army, Militia, and the group who had carried back Tokzic, who was just now waking up from his long ban.

“Attention, TGB. No, all of FFR.” He announced with the most serious tone of voice he had ever had to employ in his entire life. “Today, I bear upon you all some very grim news.” People began to give each other worried looks as they wondered what could possibly make their current situation any worse than it already was. However, what Specforces spoke next made people’s spines shiver, and caused goose bumps to run wild throughout the group. “FFR, the end is here.”

More worried looks flew through the crowd as heads swiveled, trying to make sense of the general’s brief yet ominous statement. However, their confusion did not last long, as Specforces had thought ahead and anticipated this type of reaction. He cleared his throat and pressed on with his speech.

“Yes,” He projected his voice so that all could hear, “This battle will most likely be our final one. I say this because we are facing an enemy that outnumbers us so greatly that if I had told anybody before now, you would have laughed and called me crazy.” He straightened his posture as his voice became more serious and dire, and he balled his hands into fists and laid them at his side. “Shashakiro figures that the remaining population of FFR after the Militia’s valiantly fought battle is a little over one million. However, after today, assuming that we survive the struggle, there will be less than two hundred of us left.”

Many people fainted at this statement. Most others gasped and covered their mouths. Most attempted to reassure themselves out loud by speaking, “It’s not true. There’s no way he could be right.” The noise gradually built up, and many of the younger soldiers began to cry. The world truly was coming to an end, and the chaos which gripped the crowd was displaying it quite well.

Specforces, not being one to listen to excess noise, nor being one to tolerate crying in any formal situation, stomped his foot on the ground with excessive power, which created a deafening bang, as he roared, “HOWEVER.” Immediately, everybody ceased moving or speaking. Their heads rotated back in Specforces’s direction, and they said nothing as they listened to what he had to say. Specforces cleared his throat and continued, now pleased that he had acquired everybody’s attention so quickly. “However,” he spoke much more calmly, “That does not mean that we are doomed. Not only do we have the TGB Militia, who have proven themselves more than capable of defending what they love and care for, and not only do we have the TGB Army, which has trained the most experienced noob slayers in existence, but we also have friends from high places, such as Manti, dore, Darkshark, Shashakiro, to name a few. Our forces may not be a million strong, but together, our strength is that of ten million. We have the power to kill the gods themselves, and damn it, if that’s what we have to do then we’ll do it!”

From the side, Shashakiro grinned as he whispered to darkshark, “He still hasn’t lost his touch.” The crowd was cheering at this point. Specforces had managed to refill the morale of his soldiers from zero to maximum, and then some. He suddenly put his hand over his eyebrows and squinted, looking towards the horizon. A black mass spilled over the line that separated the land from the sky, and began to flow down towards the tiny speck that guarded TGB and the freedom of the FFR world.

“They’re here.” He spoke softly, and then in a dynamic 180, shouted, “Men! To your positions! This is the final battle; this is where we prove our worth as a nation, and as a world! We are FFR, and we WILL NOT FALL!”

Fido leapt forward, and took out an Omega Arrow from his previous battle, and shot it off at least a quarter mile into the air. After a minute or so, the arrow detonated in the front of the advancing enemy lines, causing an explosion that engulfed five hundred opposing soldiers, and vacuumed up two hundred more. He grinned as he began to search around in his bag for more Omega Arrows, but found that the bag was completely empty. Now disappointed, he dashed off in order to find more arrows which could amuse him in what he believed to be his last chance to cause carnage.

At this point, all hell broke loose. Soldiers scurried around, trying to find a good place to hold off the enemy forces. Others were still preparing their battle gear. Specforces, however, knew that the discordance would be the source of their downfall. With another stomp of his boot, he forced everybody to stop moving, and began relaying orders by mouth. “You four!” He shouted, “Gather rocks over there and begin launching on my command. Fido! Find Shashakiro, he will be able to lend you his arrows. Tibs, Reaper, Seth, and Afrobean, charge the enemy and give it everything you have! Darkshark, Jewp, Omega, Squeek, and Swabber! Summon your banhammers, and then assist Reaper’s group at the front lines!”

At this point, GamerShadow leapt forward, and caught Specforces’s attention with a noisy cough. Specforces turned and recognized that a change in plans was needed. Thinking on his toes, Specforces nodded and spoke simultaneously. “GamerShadow,” he notified him of his new orders, “You are to locate Blazze upon his arrival, and recover the token that he has stolen. Do I make myself clear?”

GamerShadow nodded and smiled as he quickly dashed off towards higher ground, and began searching for Blazze, who would most likely create a dramatic entrance of some sort.

SethSquall and Afrobean patiently waited for Tibs and Reaper to transform themselves before beginning their mission. As soon as the two half-dragons were finished, the group began to charge the enemy’s front line, which was now a mile away and closing quickly. At this point, Afro whipped out his trusty disco mace, and attached the spherical head onto the durable metal handle. The spikes located inside the head shot out and made themselves known as the handle and head clicked together, linked by an unbreakable chain made from unknown materials.

Once the enemy forces were a quarter of a mile away, the group was finally able to visualize what they were facing. Enemies of all sorts could be seen in formation, ranging from trolls to flamers, noobs to hackers, and spammers of all sorts. However, there was one enemy which alone composed the first few lines of the enemy force.

“Damn furries,” Reaper grunted through his dragon snout as he breathed acidic vapor over a large section of the enemy lines, taking out at least fifty of their men. He then followed up with a swipe through the acid cloud which not only propelled it over to other noobs, but also managed to tear a visible hole in the enemy’s formation, impaling about forty spammers, hackers, and a rather tiny troll on his claws. Now disgusted, Reaper took a moment to shake off the vile corpses before continuing on his relentless assualt.

Tibs followed suit, raining fireballs down on a seperate section of enemies, most of which caught fire and ran around for a minute or two before being completely burned to death. “Useless,” Tibs thought to himself as he tore through an unwary furry’s heart, killing it instantly, “They’re not even good for firewood. What’s the point of having them here if all they do is get in the way?” After clashing claw to metal with a furious hacker numerous times for the laughs before tripping him and stabbing him to death, Tibs checked up on Seth, who hadn’t been feeling too well on the return trip to the Garbage Bin.

SethSquall was holding up for the moment, but he already looked exhausted. He almost appeared to be slacking off, but he was roaring with each transdimensional rift he opened. Nevertheless, even with his reduced energy, the noobs still were not able to touch Seth.

Omega leapt down from nowhere and flattened a group of spammers with his banhammer, which splattered everywhere. He laughed as he swung upwards with a mighty force which sent a full sized troll reeling back into more or less twentysoldiers behind it, crushing them and killing them instantly.

Squeek also joined in on the fun as he spun around in circles, knocking away various bodies. He shouted with excitement as he chanted, “Ban them all!” At the top of his lungs as he took more swings, which came into contact with five to ten bodies on average.

Suddenly, a scream emitted from the middle of the sea of foes. A group of noobs had gathered, along with a hacker and a furry, and were punching Seth from person to person, almost as if he were a punching bag. One fist came into contact with his face as he spun around, only to be slammed again in the arm. An audible snapping noise could be heard as down Seth’s left arm ran red rivulets of blood. Another fist made itself known to Seth’s gut as he doubled over and nearly threw up as the furry slashed him on the face.

After a few minutes of sandbagging Seth, the hacker decided that enough was enough. He readied his blade as various noobs held him in place. Seth was barely conscious at this point, and was trying to escape the grip that the noobs had on him, but it was of no use. None of his limbs were responding, and try as he might, he couldn’t find the energy to create a rift to fall into, or to suck up the hacker with.

Then it came, short, but painful, contradictory to what many had said about finishing blows. A swift strike to the heart by the hacker finished the courageous and valiant struggle of a veteran soldier, one of the might veterans that had fought in many wars past.

Seth stared out past the air, past the battle, past everything. His eyes began to glaze over as he fell to his battered and bloodied knees, signaling the end of his violent and valiant struggle. His life began to reveal itself to him, from beginning to end. Seth saw himself entering the FFR world for the first time, being greeted by various members with enthusiastic smiles and high-fives, one of which included Tibs. All of the emotions that he had felt in the past came rushing back up to the surface for one last gasp of air, one last moment in the light before it was gone forever. He viewed himself joining the ranks of the TGB Army and meeting Specforces for the first time. He could actually feel how nervous he had been, and how long he laughed for when Tibs slipped and fell in front of Spec. He could recall the recent past. Finally recapturing Chit-Chat, carrying Tokzic’s body, and finding the mysterious shrine which had held the Azzuri token since the FFR world’s creation, the token that still remained in his pocket even at his moment of judgment. He remembered all of the damage that had been done to his precious home in the past day, all of the friends and allies that were fighting a hopeless battle.

Breathing became more and more difficult as Seth’s vision began to blur, and everything began to weigh him down, as if his entire body were composed of lead. Tears began to release themselves from their prison and cascade down his cheeks, happy to be free. The darkness began to consume his mind and body as he subconsciously wore his last soft grin, his eyes now unconsciously fixated upon Tibs, who had only just now found out that his partner had fallen.

Tibs watched in horror as Seth inhaled for the final time, and after what felt to be an eternity, collapsed onto the ground, limp. His eyes rolled upward in their sockets, and his lungs relaxed and the air inside escaped, free. His hands, which had previously been clenched into fists, relaxed once again as they hit the ground. Tibs couldn’t believe what he had seen. He shook his head and closed his eyes, and hoped that Seth would wake up and laugh, as if he had been setting up some elaborate joke the whole time. But he didn’t. Seth didn’t wake up; he merely remained on the ground in the same position that he had fallen to. He was an empty vessel, robbed of life and soul.

[Xception704]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

oh **** oh **** oh **** oh **** oh ****

p.s. props to me on the "idea"

rofl

[GamerShadow]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Edit: I added part 2 of chapter 18 to the post containing the first part to make reading easier.
==============================
Coming up next time, in Chapter 19:
Tibs enters an inhuman rampage and slays hundreds of invaders with nothing but his rage and his knife sharp claws. He is so enraged at the loss of a friend that he doesn't notice that Seth is... hovering in the air with a blue glow?

On the other front, progress is slow, and the sheer number of enemies is proving to be a formidable challenge for the combined forces of FFR. But things only grow worse as Blazze makes his entrance. Now is the time for GamerShadow to put Spec's plan into action, after sealing each other off, it's a fight to the death. The two appear to be equally matched, each possessing one token, but it appears that both fighters have tricks up their sleeves.

What could happen next? Find out, This Sunday, at 8:00PM Eastern, right here, on FFR!

[igotrhythm]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Well, so much for my cameo appearance.

By the way, it's called the Wall of Doom, but close enough, I guess. Way to bring back the traditional attack form of the barrage of arrows, though.

[buizel8888]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

lol you killed off sethsquall

[SethSquall]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Such an epic tale that was ever told. Man, I hope this isn't the end of me ;__;

[GamerShadow]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Thanks for the sticky! I'll work extra hard when writing the story. =)

[DarkManticoreX2]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

I love this story, keep writing Gamer.

[Xception704]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Such an epic tale that was ever told. Man, I hope this isn't the end of me ;__;

lol you're dead stop posting

xD

[GamerShadow]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

This is the first half of Chapter 19, XC weight training took longer than anticipated, so I am readily typing up the rest of the chapter as I post.

Edit: I have added part 2 to this post for the reader's convenience.
==============================
Chapter 19:

Tibs held back the overpowering sadness that overcame him as swiftly as the noobs had overcome his friend. His fists tightened into balls and his muscles all tensed up with power. His mind completely derailed from sanity as it relayed only one message. Destroy. He pent everything up, and emitted a gigantic roar as he leapt forward, and slashed through an unsuspecting noob’s heart, instantly slaying it. He picked up the corpse, and mutilated it before throwing it on top of another nearby enemy, who was flattened under the weight and killed. Tibs then located an open gathering of minions, and within seconds, engulfed them in a molten inferno that towered fifty feet high. He continued to rampage. Tibs felt the pain, the pain of knowing that a part of him had been torn from the inside out, and would never be restored. If he died too he wouldn’t care. It was better than watching the whole world collapse on its knees as Seth had done. It was better than becoming Engler’s toy, his eternal slave, locked in rusted silver shackles that could never be unlocked or destroyed. He didn’t notice that Seth was now hovering in the air until a voice boomed and halted the battle.

“Willpower is the driving force of life. Without a will, only death awaits. Never give up the struggle, because with enough effort, even the gods can be brought down to their knees.” The voice seemed to project itself through the still-limp SethSquall’s throat. Without warning, a gigantic amount of energy congregated at the core of Seth’s body, while a bright blue light began to shine from within Seth’s pocket. The glow intensified as energy continued to meet and unify, until the only object still visible in the immense blue glow was Seth himself.

The light had intensified to the point where it was blinding all who looked into it. Tibs, along with the others began to retreat and meet up with one another to the best of their ability as the power within Seth only intensified. After a minute had passed, the voice rose again, this time, with a hint of SethSquall’s voice. At least, that’s what Tibs had thought he had heard.

“When there’s a will, there’s a way.” Was all that echoed as the light disappeared into Seth’s body for a brief moment as nobody moved. The silence seemed frightening and awkward compared to the chaos that had ruled the battlefield just a tick of the clock ago. Then, an indescribable phenomenon opened its maw, and began to consume everything, from the noobs to the soil to the air itself. Even things thought to have never existed were being consumed by the dark glutton. It even took in the sound waves that it itself created.

Nobody could believe what they were seeing. Had they not retreated back a whole mile to the inside of The Proving Grounds, they would have been obliterated and destroyed by the black hole which now swallowed endless bodies of the enemy. Trolls, flamers, spammers, hackers, noobs, even the furries were being relentlessly pulled into the spiraling black vortex. It never seemed to end, both the power of the vortex, and the flow of bodies entering it. It appeared to all that watched as some sort of contest; last one to give out wins. Everybody eyed the black hole intently, and gasped as it disappeared in an anticlimactic flash of light, turning into nothing. The only two reminders of the events that transpired now were a gigantic crater that must have been at least one hundred feet deep, and Seth’s body, which now hung in midair.

Tibs, who was already in emotional distress, could not tear his eyes away from the sight of his friend, who, being deprived of all life force, turned into dust, which was blown into the wind, never to be seen or recovered. All his mouth could manage to let out was a soft “No”.

Specforces, who was standing nearby, happened to hear Tibs whispering to himself, and turned his head towards him. “What’s up, Tibs? You look like a wreck.” He politely asked with a gentle tone of voice that for him was quite rare to hear coming from his own throat.

Tibs clenched his fists and grinded his teeth against one another. He began to form another well of rage and anger when a thought hit him. That this war was not worth fighting, that everybody was going to die regardless of whether they fought or not. He turned his head to Specforces, and with a quivering voice, replied, “This is pointless. We’re not going to win the war. We’re not going to save the world. We are all going to die. Don’t you realize that?” His voice began to rise as his anger began to return to him.

Specforces foresaw what was happening, and decided to nip the problem by the bud. He tightened his fist, and hooked Tibs straight in the jaw, which caused a small amount of blood to fly out of the unsuspecting victim’s mouth. “Listen up, Tibs,” Specforces switched to his commanding voice once again, as he knew that Tibs was useless as long as he wallowed in his pity, “you haven’t seen anything yet. This is obviously the first time somebody that you gave half an ass about has died in front of your eyes. Well, I’m here to say get the hell over it.”

“Like you could possibly know.” Tibs spat back, not even trying to sound polite to his superior commander.

“I do know,” Specforces further asserted his point, “and I know better than you do. You know why? Because in the other world, I have seen some of my best friends shot down and blown up. That didn’t stop me from bombing the hell outta the enemy. It just made me try harder.”

Tibs seemed to calm down at this statement a bit, and he seemed much more willing to listen. His shoulders relaxed, which Spec easily picked up on. He continued to assure the veteran soldier, and used his famous orator skills to calm the violent storms of hate raging within the young man.

“What I am saying is that don’t let Seth’s death be for nothing.” Specforces continued, “He just took a gigantic chunk out of the enemy army, in exchange for his life. He has given us a chance at victory, and if we don’t seize it now, we will die just as you said. But if we do take it, victory is ours. We just have to try harder.”
Tibs was about to speak when a sudden ear-shattering noise pierced the air with authority. Everybody in the combined forces of FFR turned their heads in the same direction, and all saw the same sight; a colossal piece of the mountain range surrounding The Garbage Bin slide down and crash onto the ground with a second explosion of sound. Specforces immediately thought that GamerShadow had been crushed by the massive piece of the mountain until he saw a small purple streak zip through the air. Now assured, he turned to the forces under his command and shouted, “All out! Everybody attacks at once! Let’s move it!”

More gigantic noises erupted in various areas of the mountains as they trembled and began to collapse as the first section had; the source proved to be a steady barrage of fireballs that were all being emitted from a single source.

“Blazze,” GamerShadow muttered under his breath, “I hope you’re ready, because this is your end.” With that, he summoned a razor sharp shadow tendril from his body and began to rip through the ocean of enemies at a speed that no enemy could comprehend, save for Blazze, who was watching his target intently. He too began to dash through his minions, knocking some of them aside if they obstructed his way, until he was within thirty feet of his opponent. Simultaneously, they leaped into the air, and shot a ring of energy under themselves, one ring was a bloodied crimson fire, the other a vengeful violet which was composed of shadows.

The two fighters landed and turned to face each other as the grass that the rings had landed on began to combust. The raging infernos slowly fused with one another, creating an even stronger barrier that prevented the escape of both of those trapped within.

Immediately, Blazze and GamerShadow began to circle one another, shuffling slowly. Each had their powers already activated and their minds set on their one and only goal, which was being held by their opponent. For a minute, neither spoke, but soon, GamerShadow broke the silence.

“Hello, old buddy,” he spoke harshly and was straight to the point and overly blunt. There was no time for pleasantries, nor was there time for much chit-chat other than the usual taunts and witty retorts. “You have something that I want. Care to give it to me?”

Had the situation been less pressuring on time, Blazze would have laughed. Instead, his eyebrows lowered and fixed themselves in their anger position, and his frown grew as he continued to circle his opponent. “It appears that we are both searching for the same thing. I have no time to talk with the likes of you; give me what I want or suffer the consequences. You have ten seconds to choose.”

GamerShadow had no trouble making the obvious decision. He roared as he leapt at his opponent with his fist thrust forward, ready to strike and ready to fight once again to the death.

Blazze ignited his fist and thrust it at his opponent’s chest, ready to break through the skin and burn everything inside. However, he noticed that GamerShadow’s body glided through both his fist and the body which had thrown the punch itself. Now surprised and thrown off guard, Blazze stood and calmly assessed the situation. It only took a second for him to detect the opposition, whom had snapped a shadow tendril towards his neck, attempting to choke him. A stealthy and speedy response began when Blazze spun to his left and jumped backward a foot or two, and then shot a small blast of fire towards GamerShadow, bringing his strong foot forward for optimal strength and support. GamerShadow, in turn, dived low to the ground while swiftly rolling under the inferno which engulfed the air above, and attempted to extend one of his shadows towards Blazze’s heart, attempting to finish his opponent with one lethal blow.

However, Blazze was ready to attack long before GamerShadow finished his rolling motion, and as a result, easily blasted his opponent with a raging fire blast as he had just come out of his roll. This sent GamerShadow tumbling backwards at an alarming rate towards the ring of shadows and flames which surrounded the two fierce combatants. Luckily, GamerShadow was able to dig his hands into the dirt and stop his own momentum before it carried him into what would have been an untimely doom.

Blazze ginned as GamerShadow rolled away from the fire and sprung upwards, ready to enter the fray once again. However, Blazze pulled a circular brown object from his pocket, and held it out. The object reflected some of the blended crimson and indigo glow being cast by the ring of shadows and flames, which had now doubled in height and thickness.

GamerShadow immediately stopped. His eyes were open wide, his jaw hanged open. “You,” He spoke as if as if he had found a bomb in his closet, “you have one too?”

Blazze grinned as he tossed the token into the air and caught it with his right hand while still focusing on GamerShadow. “Damn straight I have one.” he rolled the token around in his hand, weaving it through his fingers like thread dancing in fabric. He appeared to be contemplating something now, with his free hand on his chin, gently stroking a beard of flames. “I’ve made up my mind,” Blazze announced, “I don’t care what happens to you. I want that token, and I am going to pry it from your cold, dead hands if I have to. Of course,” He slowly brought the token in his possession towards his opponent and suddenly, it began to glow a brilliant mahogany, “that shouldn’t take too long after I use this, now will it?”

At first, only the token glowed, however, GamerShadow noticed that his hands and his legs also shone with the same shade of brown as the token. Immediately, his mind seared with insane amounts of pain and agony. Every bad memory, every nightmare, every moment of despair rose up and began to wreck the fabrics of sanity themselves. GamerShadow shouted with the pain, as he fell to his knees and madly gripped the sides of his head with his hands. His fingers were bent and ready to rip his hairs out by the fistful.

Blazze laughed manically as his continued approach hastened a slight amount. As soon as he was within striking distance of his opponent, an odd phenomenon occurred. The color with which GamerShadow shone shifted from brown to silver, and the yelling ceased. He slowly rose to his feet, his hair now matted and ruffled, wild and unruly, with his hands clenched into fists. Out of nowhere, Blazze experienced a sharp stinging sensation as the hand which gripped the token was stabbed and rendered useless, causing him to drop it onto the soil below. The culprit, an extremely thin tendril of shadows, consumed the token and deposited it into GamerShadow’s hand.

“So Blazze,” GamerShadow’s voice hid nothing; he had never been as ticked as he was now, save for during his fight against Engler, “Do you enjoy making young adults go insane? Is this your way of having fun?” The tendril violently retracted as veins began to appear on his neck, and an overwhelming power began to rise to the surface. “I’ll show you what happens when you mess with my mind, you insect!” His voice grew deeper and more demonic as each word escaped his lips. A tremendous aura made itself known to the world as the ground began to rumble. Pebbles rose into the air as if being levitated, and sections of the ground around the ring of fire and shadow shifted in elevation, creating a chaotic change in scenery for the TGB Army and their noob counterparts.

Blazze retreated backwards several steps as he frantically began to figure out what had happened. Why didn’t Psychosis work? Any normal person would have killed themselves from the insanity, and the boy, up until now, had displayed no extraordinary talents or powers. The change in glow color, however, struck Blazze as odd. Suddenly, it hit him.

“Satori!” He thought out loud as his opponent’s hair began to move on its own, and display a violet hue, “You have it? Of all tokens... damn you!” His fury began to rise to the surface, although it was nowhere near as powerful as that of GamerShadow’s, “Now we play for keeps! Winner lives, loser dies! Show me what you can do, you mortal piece of trash!” Blazze lowered his center of gravity, and began to tense every muscle in his body as he exerted the effort of ten men. Immediately, fires erupted everywhere on his body. They consumed him, engulfed him, and fed off of him. In return, they gave him almost limitless power, and a vast reservoir of energy that was free for him to tap into at any point in time.

The intense heat which was exuding from Blazze’s aura would have been hot enough to melt iron, and had GamerShadow’s sub-zero aura not been protecting him, he would have been incinerated before the last part of the fight even began. The two titans now circled each other with perfect stance and overwhelming power. They both formulated the same plan in their minds. A one strike finish, here and now.

Simultaneously, both Blazze and GamerShadow sparked into motion as they roared with fury. The two reached each other within a tenth of a second, and an epic explosion rocked the world from within the ring as the impact occurred. Both GamerShadow and Blazze had gone for the neck, and hit their target with perfect precision, and were clinging to life by a thread. However, the two still weren’t finished yet. Their eyes shot open as wide as reality would allow as a stab to the heart was exchanged between the two. Nothing was said as massive amounts of blood were coughed up between the two, and both combatants fell to the ground, dead. Their auras disappeared, and their veins concealed themselves within their skin as their last breaths were made for naught.

And then there was the impact.

[buizel8888]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Sorry seth, it looks like ya really are dead. Tis a shame.

Another great chapter. Keep it up GS

[SethSquall]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

I went out in an epic way.

I'm not dead, though.

I DON'T CARE I'LL BE BACK.

[GamerShadow]

Re: FFR: The Phantom Challenge

Announcement:

Due to a 4th of July vacation which took up three days, and the fact that I am in the Grand Tournament (A competitive roleplaying tournament that comes around once every two years. Yes, I roleplay.) I have been unable to work on Chapters 19 and 20. Thus, they will be released Tomorrow, July 7th at 8:00PM Eastern.

I will not allow time restraints to reduce the quality or quantity of my work. I am sorry if the delay annoys you, but it's only 24 hours in this case. You will see about 8 pages worth of new content tomorrow.

Thanks for your support, again. This story has come such a long way since the first chapter. And to think I thought of this while I was banned, too.