Characters Used:

Terence by Me! Pox by Me! Floala by Techn0gecko @ deviantart Sael by theplutt97 @ deviantart

Round 1 Prompt (Uploaded with permission of Judges):

Everyone had arrived and settled into Xotiathon, and the following morning, the first round announcement was broadcasted to their ICH robots.

The robots projected holographic screens captioned in every competitor’s native language, with accompanying streamed images of the three judges to match as their spoken words were translated.

 [Slica icon] “Hi, everyone! Round one is going to start right after breakfast. Please gather in the dome once you’ve eaten.”

[Suls icon] “This round isn’t paired; we’re going to be passing you based on the half who finish first. It’s pretty much a race! With some obstacles, of course; so don’t think you speedsters necessarily have the advantage!”

[Janie icon] “The aquatic ones among you will be able to swim, but there will be hazards in the water too.”

[Slica icon] “Good luck, everyone! Get hyped for Xotiathon!” With Slica’s last words, the screens blinked out and the transmission ended.

ROUND ONE RULES:

To win this round, you must show your character overcoming at least two of the tournament’s obstacles and crossing the finish line.

The exact nature of these obstacles is up to you, but the basic setup involves a giant pool with dry paths running across the top of it - and plenty of space to swim underneath or around them.

Land racers may experience paths shifting apart or rising, while aquatic ones might experience random whirlpools or waves.

You may invent your own hazards within reason. Nothing explicitly deadly such as lasers or death traps is permitted. Only nonlethal, inconveniencing obstacles are allowed, such as having walls rise up.

The finish line is at the other end of the pool, and the first half of the competitors to cross it are the ones who will pass to round two. The ones who fall behind will fail.