As always, some updates from the previous round.

Congratulations to the 23 brave fighters that participated and successfully completed their Red Belt Round.

The usernames will be shared on the message board, as per usual, and those individuals can expect their stickers via private message before the end of Round 9.

Round 9 - Black Belt: 26 August to 15 September

Black signifies the darkness beyond the Sun. A black belt seeks new, more profound knowledge of the Art. As he begins to teach others, he plants new seeds and helps them grow and mature. His students, many whom will form roots deep into the Art, blossom and grow through the ranks in a never-ending process of self-growth, knowledge, and enlightenment.

The final challenge is here! And it's for the true word warriors, those with fighter hearts bleeding ink. We dare you to get our adrenaline pumping one last time!

Prompt: Write an action short story of no less than 5k words and no more than 10k words. Everything is up to your imagination, but we want to see the following in the story:

Setting - Focus on your world and Scene building. Use THIS article for some tips.

A clear protagonist and antagonist.

A plot twist.

Guidelines:

> Word count must be between 5000 (min) and 10 000 (max).

> Make sure we can see the action.

> Remember the world-building and include the other two elements. We are excited about those epic plot twists.

> Fanfiction is always welcome.

> Yes, you can use the same characters from previous rounds, or you can use new ones. We judge each entry separately and not as a series.

> Swearing and violence are not considered mature, please read the guidelines linked in the first chapter.

Submit your entry via this >> Submission Form

Deadline: 15 September 2023 at midnight EST

Consult the first chapter for more guidelines and FAQs.