Thanks @Anek, @NightWolf714!


Tuesday, 2025-09-23, Streak: 205
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 23
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 23


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 36 to Room 37
:v: The Last Drop, Lvl 2

This was the hardest room so far. Not because it had enemies nor because it was moving in any way. No, this room was static, unchanging. It had a drop in the middle, a giant hole going down many meters, and that was the way forward. Now, I didn't have any rope on me that was long enough to reach all the way to the bottom so I had to climb down solo. I'm not a mountain goat so the journey was scary.

I slipped. I mean, of course I slipped. It was only a matter of when. Luckily I was pretty close to the bottom and the walls had started going from vertical drop to gentle slope and so I slid down to the end without breaking any bones.

The bottom had a trapdoor, the heaviest trapdoor in The Labyrinth yet, but I managed to open it and slip through.

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Wednesday, 2025-09-24, Streak: 206
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 24
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 24


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 37 to Room 38
:v: The Memory Weighing, Lvl 2

I was lucky no one else entered the room with me. The first thing I noticed where heavy stone blocks painted with pictures from my past, victories and losses. So many losses. No one needed to see that. I mean I was (and still am) proud of the progress I've made, but for some things, the past should be left in the past.

The second thing I noticed was the massive set of scales in the center of the room creaking with the unbalance of weights already on it. The inscription in front of it was clear: I needed to heave the remaining stone blocks onto the pans and balance the scales.

Did I mention they were heavy? I moved as fast as I could, I couldn't risk someone entering this room while all these pictures were on display, and stacked the blocks up. Piece by piece I got the bar to level out until it was horizontal.

I continued on but was only a few steps out of the room when I heard the entire thing come crashing down, hopefully resetting itself for the next adventurer...

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Thursday, 2025-09-25, Streak: 207
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 25
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 25


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 38 to Room 39
:v: The Guardian's Hall

A Guardian was waiting for me. A being of shadow and fire, imposing, waiting in front of the exit. I readied myself but needn't have. This was not an enemy to defeat, at least not directly. I walked forwards until I stood in front of the towering figure, at a respectable distance. I tried to project confidence, worthiness, and aura of someone who wasn't intimidated by a being almost double her height.

The Guardian, who had mirrored me with small movements then started to lead, moving through various positions, each held an appropriate time. I followed, moving as required and holding positions in stillness when needed. We performed what probably looked to outsiders as a very slow dance, moving elegantly (I hope) until our steps brought us closer together. Then the Guardian held out both hands to me and I answered the call with both of my front paws. Satisfied, the Guardian stepped aside before dissolving into smoke, leaving the exit unbarred. Except, as I walked closer the same green barrier with spirals faded into existence. The Guardian may have allowed me to pass but The Labyrinth needed more from me. I turned back to where I came from...

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Friday, 2025-09-26, Streak: 208
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 26
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 26


:v: 5x40 butt kicks: walking from Room 39 to Room 26 via 38-37-36-31
:v: The Feather Drift, Lvl 2

I moved through various rooms I'd already been in; luckily none of them had reset so they were rather easy to cross. Then I hugged the left wall to move through an archway I'd hadn't been through. The room was a dance; a slight breeze, coming from everywhere and nowhere, kept a big amount of feathers gently floating across the room. I stepped into the room and the wind picked up, seemingly annoyed at the disturbance. That guess solidified when it calmed back down when I stopped moving, only looking around. The room was a dance and I was happy to oblige, moving with the wind even though some of the flagstones seemed to have their own gravity fields; step by step slowly towards the far exit and the blinding light beyond...

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Saturday, 2025-09-27, Streak: 209
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 27
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 27


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 26 to Room 27
:v: The Shadow Dance, Lvl 2

It wasn't any of the dances I knew but a dance nonetheless. The bright light in the room made stark shadows that acted weirdly. At least mine did. It detached from me and requested me to follow. I followed its steps, slides, freezes, and pivots and once it was satisfied it bowed to me and vanished, taking its normal place on the ground behind me. Weirded out I took the left door, wondering what else this place had in store for me...

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Monday, 2025-09-29, Streak: 211
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 29
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 29


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 27 to Room 22
:v: The Masquerade Gallery, Lvl 2

Once again faces on the wall. This time they're masks though, made of different materials, painted with every possible emotion. All of them whispered, promised me things, but I couldn't focus on any single one of them, and they all got louder, a cacophony of sound, why couldn't they just SHUT UP! I covered my ears and sprinted through the room to the nearest exit...

Peace and quiet, exactly when I crossed the threshold from the room to the corridor beyond. I bent over, hands on knees, catching my breath...

:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 22 to Room 21
:v: The Chain Garden, Lvl 2

The next room dropped off into nothingness again. I waited a few minutes at the edge, intently staring at the void below, but this time nothing moved in the shadows. The room itself also didn't move; no, it seemed like this time I'd be able to make my way across without interference from anything else. And what a way across it was: Across slabs in the void, obviously meant as places to pause and catch ones breath. The impressive part of this room were the hundreds of chains hanging down from who-knows-where in the darkness above. Some held up the slabs but most were just hanging, like vines in the jungle. I looked ahead at the way out only to find a heavy portcullis covering the archway. (Is there such a thing as a light portcullis?) So that would be another puzzle to solve: Which of these chains makes the gate go up?

I climbed chains, swung with chains, landed on platforms. Luckily the platforms were held up by chains, which in one case gave me something to grab onto to not tumble off of the edge. I soon reached a nice slab that gave me a good overview of the exit and tracked the chain I'd need to yank on to get the gate open. It snaked around the room, almost back to the entrance. Of course. So I parkoured my way back and found a nice slab to tie the chain to once I'd lifted it a bit. At least this room contained enough counterweights.

One last trip across the room later (at least I didn't almost die this time) and I could crawl under the gate and walk to the next room...

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Tuesday, 2025-09-30, Streak: 212
:v: Burpee Countdown, Day 30
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 30


By Day 30, you’ll finish with just 1 burpee - a symbolic victory rep.
Click to expand...
:completed:

Let's follow up September's challenge with October's challenge. I am thinking I might want a second challenge for October... decisions, decisions...

The Labyrinth, however, is still ongoing...

:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 21 to Room 16
:v: The Tide Hall, Lvl 2

Great news, the next room was cosplaying as a water park again, complete with a wave pool and rapids. There were currents going every which way. I only had one way I wanted to go and that was out, so I fought my way through the surf towards the exit door. Of course the exit door was closed and by the time I got to it it was completely submerged. There was a chain to pull to open it and so I did. Luckily I grabbed the chain tightly because as soon as I pulled the water started exploring its newfound freedom and flowed out of the room. Had I been swept away, who knows where I'd ended up. I waited for the water level to drop to more manageable levels before joining the waves flowing out of the room.

I walked until I found a dry spot to rest and clean myself...

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Thank you @graoumia, @NightWolf714, @astro_lizard, @Syrius, @Fremen, @nell, and @Anek!

I've decided that I do want a second challenge for October. The Punch Up! Challenge focuses on the upper body. So, let's add something for the lower body as well so that every day can also be leg day.


Wednesday, 2025-10-01, Streak: 213
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 1
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 1
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 31


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 16 to Room 11
:v: The Iron Cogs, Lvl 2

It's like I walked straight into the core of a machine. At least that how this next room felt like. There were a bunch of gears, interlocked or spinning freely, and various belts, pulleys, wheels, and other gear-related mechanics. One thing stood out though: A crank, in the middle of the room, like it was begging to be turned. Where other parts of this machinery was rotating casually, this centerpiece didn't move. And so I decided to investigate, maybe that would be my job. It wasn't easy to get the crank to turn but eventually I got it moving in sync with other gears. It kept up momentum for a bit but would falter and slow if I stopped cranking for too long. I looked around for a way to fix this, to keep this new movement going indefinitely. And then I saw it: Two wheels, one powered by me, one powered by whatever powered this labyrinth, in parallel, with a pin on a chain clanking with every turn. I pushed the pin back into its place, turning the two kinetic systems back into one.

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Thursday, 2025-10-02, Streak: 214
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 2
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 2
:v: Gym: strength circuit, 2 rounds
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 32


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 11 to Room 6
:v: The Chamber of Echos, Lvl 2

The next room made noises whenever I took a step. At first I couldn't believe it, I was used to walking silently, but this room somehow managed to amplify even the softest steps. Turned out it wanted me to step in time with the echos and so I marched in sync with the sound waves in the room. The entire room shuddered and the exit door swung open. I couldn't get out into the hallway fast enough.

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Friday, 2025-10-03, Streak: 215
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 3
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 3
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 33


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 6 to Room 7
:v: The Beast's Den, Lvl 2

I spied a familiar room through one of the archways: The Threshold, the very first room of The Labyrinth. Seems like I had come full circle. Going back out the way I came in would not be the way an adventurer would do this and I still hadn't found out how to get through the forcefield with the spirals, so I went through the other archway instead.

This room contained the first actual monster I saw in The Labyrinth. While this place swarmed with various apparitions, this room contained a big dog made of fire and stone. So no, not actual flesh and blood. It would probably be hot to the touch, judging from the scorch marks it left behind with every step, and it had sparks coming off of it, but it didn't spew fire so I stayed blissfully unscorched. Disappointingly it didn't react to the spells I threw at it, most of which passed through it without and discernible effect. I ended up using the environment and dropped a hanging brazier on top of it which it didn't like judging by the fact that it turned into a pile of ash.

I might have been back at the start but there were still rooms to explore...

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Thanks @Mamatigerj!


Saturday, 2025-10-04, Streak: 216
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 4
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 4
:v: Hike, 9.5 km
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 34


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 7 to Room 12
:v: The Sentinels' Walk, Lvl 2

The walls weren't plastered with faces in this room. No, only a countable number of stone guards stood along the wall. They did look at me, though, and stretched out their spears, barring the way. I stood still, not daring to move. After a while the stone sentinel seemed to relax, looked away, and raise its spear. I slowly moved forwards, only to freeze again at the first sign of trouble: The sentinel had looked back at me. It passed me over and I continued my slow trek towards the exit. That was the game then: Only move when no one paid any attention to me.

I passed through the door only to find another figure turning to look at me. Luckily this one wasn't a guard but an adventurer resting and regaining their strength. They graciously allowed me to join their camp for the night.

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Sunday, 2025-10-05, Streak: 217
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 5
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 5
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 35


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 12 to Room 17
:v: The Word in Stone, Heart (Lvl 2)

The next room had a bunch of heavy stones with runes carved in them. One arrangement, close to the exit door spelled out an unfinished sentence. And so, like in school I had to complete the sentence. Unlike school completing the sentence was not done by putting quill to parchment but by dragging stone through room. Honestly, I preferred the way we did it at school.

And for the second day in a row there was an adventurer sitting in the hallway between rooms to spend the night and swap stories with. So many days in this labyrinth with no one else in sight, it was a welcome change.

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Tuesday, 2025-10-07, Streak: 219
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 7
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 7
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 37


:v: 9x40 butt kicks: walking from Room 18 to Room 23 via 17-12-7-6-11-16-21-22
:v: The Broken Sword, Lvl 2

I recognized the bells in the chamber in front of me and realized I had once again reached a room I had encountered before. I decided to turn back; there were a few doors I hadn't explored yet and I still hadn't found any hints on how to get through the green forcefield.

A cathedral-like room, empty, except for a pedestal in the center. I approached it and saw a sword lying there, split into two pieces. I picked up the pieces, turning them over in my paws, inspecting the ragged edge and confirming that they fit together. The pieces felt strange, this sword didn't seem to be made from a material I had encountered before. They felt a lot lighter than your typical sword, for one. I held the pieces against each other and whispered a quick repair spell. They fused and within seconds you couldn't even see the break any more.

Even as a whole, the sword still felt weird. I looked at the inscription carved across the blade but before I could understand the words the sword broke in half again. I put the pommel back on the pedestal and picked the blade up from where it landed on the floor. The pieces would have to wait for someone else.

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Wednesday, 2025-10-08, Streak: 220
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 8
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 8
:v: Gym: strength circuit, 2 rounds
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 38


:v: 3x40 butt kicks: walking from Room 23 to Room 28 via 22-27
:v: The Fire Walk, Lvl 2

The room was incredibly hot, torches were everywhere, and the heat moved in waves. Jets of flame came out of various holes and shot every which way. I cast a quick cooling charm. It would help with the oppressing heat and to not singe any hairs but wouldn't be strong enough if I got a jet of flame to the face. No, I would need to beat this room the normal way: Figuring out the rhythm of the flames and moving from safe spot to safe spot in time. It wasn't the first rhythm game The Labyrinth set me and I had ample safe spots so I took my time and made my way carefully through the room.

I reached the far wall at last and pulled on a lever which extinguished the flames and cooled the room down. The gate opened and I stepped through...

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We went hiking today at work. The weather was lovely and the lunch in the middle was nice so the entire day just was a complete success.

The organizing team went all out and we had lots of choices: In the morning we could choose between a shorter walk and one of two longer hikes of differing difficulty. In the afternoon we could just chill or do a shorter or a medium length hike. I chose the hardest option in both sessions (because I know what I can do) but not every colleague did the distances you'll find below.


Thursday, 2025-10-09, Streak: 221
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 9
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 9
:v: Hike, 13.6 km
:v: Hike, 9.0 km
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 39


:v: 40 butt kicks: walking from Room 28 to Room 29
:v: The Sealed Tomb, Lvl 2

The room presented a massive black sarcophagus with its lid askew presenting an opening just enough to reach inside. And so I did. My paw touched a stone disk and I pulled it free. The disk was circular, made from a dark, almost black, stone, and had a spiral carved into both sides. As I touched the spiral, it began to glow green. I had found the key.

Suddenly a storm started up and I crouched low to the floor. I crawled back the way I had come, trying to escape from the wind and dust in the air. As I reached the doorway the wind died down. I stood up and looked back into the room; the sarcophagus has closed. I hadn't known it back then but it had taken something from me...

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agc said:
Was it like a team-building exercise or something?
Click to expand...
Yeah, our yearly company outing.


Friday, 2025-10-10, Streak: 222
:v: Punch Up! Challenge, Day 10
:v: Leg Day Everyday Challenge, Day 10
:v: Gym: strength circuit, 2 rounds
:v: The Labyrinth, Day 40


:completed:
Labyrinth exited successfully.

:v: 5x40 butt kicks: walking from Room 29 to Room 40 via 28-33-34-35
:v: The Dawn, Lvl 2

I walked over to the green forcefield with the key in hand. There wasn't an obvious place to put the key; no keyhole, whatever shape that might take with this shape of key. I touched the key to the forcefield and two things happened simultaneously. I was looking at the key so I first noticed that the spiral carved on the stone disk blazed brightly before quickly settling back into the dull glow it had before. Once I had blinked the spots out of my eyes I saw that the forcefield had simply vanished.

The archway out of the room shone brightly, early morning light pouring in. I walked towards it but quickly picked up the pace and ended up sprinting through the arch and the hallway beyond until I made it out of The Labyrinth and got real, outside grass below my paws.

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The Labyrinth was lots of fun.

The fact that many of us did it at the same time made it extra special. I might not have met everybody inside and I might not have included every encounter in my story but it was wonderful to see all the mentions and to see me show up in some of your stories. It was cool to see how we interpreted the descriptions of the rooms differently at times and the different additional elements we introduced.

Thanks y'all!
 
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