INTRO TO VENUS NO WAY
LEVEL 0.8
THREAT INDEX
CLASS 3
Exit: 3/5
Difficult to Exit
Environment: 3/5
High Environmental Risk
Entities: 3/5
Major Hostile Presence
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Invaded by large swathes of chilling waters at varying depths, Level 0.8 stands as a perilous sublevel of Level 0. While the flood may be the most characteristic offshoot of the sublevel, other differences include lower temperatures, missing ceiling tiles, a quieter fluorescent humming noise or lack thereof, sizable sections of the level lacking illumination, and infestive mold growth on the walls. Not all rooms in the sublevel are level to one another, causing the water level between rooms to vary significantly. On either extremes of the variance, one room may be dry and another may be fully submerged. Level 0.8 is one of the few sublevels affected by Phenomenon 24, and is the first documented instance of the phenomenon throughout the Backrooms.
Unlike its parent level, one can meet other wanderers in Level 0.8. Other wanderers are an uncommon sight if one traverses enough, although the nature of Level 0.8 impedes all traversal efforts. Non-Euclidean geometry is also absent in the sublevel, easing travel and cohesion in understanding the layout. The lack of both phenomena paved the way for the establishment of small research outposts, though the only incentive was to understand more about Phenomenon 24 and how it affects the level. Such interest in Level 0.8 has dwindled over time due to increased understanding of both the phenomenon and sublevel, and the few research outposts remain abandoned, swept and eroded away by the waters they ought to unravel.
Rubble left unattended by previous inhabitants litter and dot the flooded sublevel. They can be found either in clusters floating on water or chaotically strewn about submerged. There is no rhyme or reason to the rubbish that remains submerged, yet clusters of abandoned objects above hint at the settlements the sublevel has seen throughout its history. Supplies like Almond Water are absent on Level 0.8, though one's ingenuity may result in using the objects for survival in Level 0.8, including constructing small rafts and makeshift melee weapons.
Strangely, the temperatures of the water and the air above juxtapose one another significantly, with the temperature of air in Level 0.8 averaging 35°C, while the water remains at a chilling 2°C. Water vapor is common in the sublevel's air, creating a moist environment suitable for mold to grow on surfaces, damaging them, leading to open holes in the ceiling and missing chunks in the walls. Water in Level 0.8 cannot freeze despite the low temperatures, which gradually decrease the further one descends into them.
One may find large regions of the sublevel shrouded in darkness. These are most often lower-elevation regions of Level 0.8, though these dark zones may persist in drier regions. Most of the lower lying areas lack illumination aside from occasional flickers. Dark zones are a common sight in Level 0.8, and they are large enough that one can only see pitch blackness even in more open regions. Lighting in areas which surround the dark zones are prone to random malfunctions such as flickering, to which some believe that the dark zones are slowly expanding and will encompass all of Level 0.8 far in the future.
Discovered in the late 1700s, Level 0.8 was one of the first discovered sublevels of the entire Backrooms, at a time when the concept of a sublevel was still up for debate. At the time, the sublevel was dry and unaffected by Phenomenon 24, and it exuded greater similarity to its parent level. As later discoveries pointed to the lack of Phenomenon 15 and Non-Euclidean geometry, as well as the definition and even very concept of a sublevel became more rigid, it was discerned that Level 0.8 was a sublevel to Level 0.
Throughout the 1800s, Level 0.8, due to its proximity to its parent level and Level 1, as well as possessing a safe environment and exits to other levels of the Backrooms, the sublevel teemed with numerous sizeable communities, becoming a hot commodity amongst many wanderers. Unsurprisingly, the populations mainly consisted of newcomers to the Backrooms. Its location as a middle ground between levels cemented Level 0.8's position as a trading hub between many communities. Some inhabitants even saw the sublevel as their ultimate residence in the Backrooms, and venturing out to other, safer levels would be too risky.
However, on February 12, 1928, the sublevel had become the first to be afflicted by the wicked Phenomenon 24. On that fateful day, large swathes of rapid-moving water manifested everywhere in the sublevel, sweeping and tearing through the powerless wanderers that stood in its might. Most wanderers were either injured and dead, with a lucky few managing to escape to other levels. The damage caused by the flood was among the worst in all of Backrooms history even until the present day. Strangely, the sublevel's entrances and exits with other levels diminished during the flooding, particularly much of its most prominent and accessible ones, trapping many unfortunate victims and delaying the arrival of rescue teams. The rescue teams saved only a handful of survivors, most of whom were injured to some extent. They then diverted their attention to rummaging through the rubble for any valuables which still may be recovered.
Shortly after, many groups would establish small outposts to investigate what might have caused the deluge at the sublevel. They hypothesized at the existence of Phenomenon 24, attempting to capture as much detail as they can surrounding the event to document the phenomenon. As other locales of the Backrooms experienced similar fates, they noticed commonalities between the events of Level 0.8 and other afflicted levels, and Phenomenon 24 was designated an official phenomenon by the early 1970s. As the understanding of both the phenomenon and those affected by it peaked, the upkeep of an outpost in the sublevel outweighed the benefits, as hidden knowledge about the phenomenon was dwindling and there being no other incentive to continue habitation of the torn sublevel.
Eventually, those outposts would be abandoned as well, and in the present day, one can explore the dangers of the sublevel with remnants from both eras of habitation strewn about. Some still see the sublevel as an effective way to traverse the Backrooms as many of its exits lead to deeper regions of the Backrooms.
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Level 0.8 harbored a few entities prior to its flooding, with Deathmoths of both genders in sparse populations. Other rarer entities include Facelings and Anethikas. However, populations of all three entities went extinct or had fleed upon the sublevel's flooding. Since then, two non-native entities started arriving in droves, adapting to the newfound nature of Level 0.8.
The first of the two entities are Dullers. They inhabit the upper air-exposed regions of Level 0.8. While they can survive being submerged, the relatively low temperatures of the water prevents them from doing so and prolonged exposure to such an environment is lethal. The second, and more common of the two, are the Needlelimbs, thriving in cold, dark waters. They are an offshoot of the main entity adapting to survive in water, growing fins and exuding behaviors closer to fish than their primary counterpart.
Microorganisms are unsurprisingly present within Level 0.8, such as the Hydrolitis Plague, which are uncommon in the level, mainly found on smaller pools of water in the sublevel. However, a fungi, endemic to the sublevel, dominates its cold waters and humid atmosphere.
Floodfungus[]
Thought to be an offshoot of Backshrooms, twisted by the pelagic fury of Phenomenon 24, The Floodfungus (Regnastipula diluvium) is a fungus encompassing several forms, residing in Level 0.8. There exist three main variants of the fungus, the first being the mold that lines the walls of the sublevel, the second are small caps that grow underwater in clusters, and the third is a similar to Cordyceps in the Frontrooms, preying on Spines. All three variants emanate spores that propagate its growth into the sublevel, which are detrimental to wanderers when inhaled or ingested.
When ingesting enough Floodfungus spores, wanderers are infected with Diluvitis, which occurs in several stages. Symptoms of earlier stages are mild, yet have hallucinogenic properties. Hallucinations may be both visual and auditory, but some rare accounts report gustatory hallucinations. As the disease progresses, wanderers may incur severe headaches, impaired vision, delirium, and strangely, an increased desire to explore Level 0.8, particularly deeper submerged regions of the sublevel. The final stages of the fungal infection brings about agonizing interior pains, failure of several organs, and eventual death.
Fortunately, wanderers are impervious to the Cordyceps-like variant of the Floodfungus, similar to the Frontrooms. However, the variant thrives off of Spines, drastically altering their appearance and behavior. Once the fungus hijacks the Spine, it will drop unconscious to the ground, then clustered, green-bluish fungal formations sprout on the body. After several hours, the Spine reawakens, walking much slower, exuding thicker, near-bulletproof skin, and attempting to spread spores further throughout the level, usually through touching walls constantly to spread mold, or by exploring new regions with as much haste. Infected Spines are not hostile towards humans yet will attack when provoked, prompting them to run at faster speeds than usual and will constantly stab the victim until death. After around 36-48 hours of reawakening, the Spine heads to a body of water, marking the end of their life as the water erodes and decomposes them.
Before Phenomenon 24 unleashed its wrath on Level 0.8, the sublevel was a hotspot for large communities to form due to its lack of Non-Euclidean geometry and Phenomenon 15, serving as a hub between other levels and the primary Backrooms level. It was the most populated Level 0 sublevel and among the most populated locales in the Backrooms. However, all communities on the sublevel were devastated during the flood, and many survivors fleed to other levels. However, due to the disaster being the first of its kind, the deluge piqued the interest of research teams from many groups, and established a few outposts to gather information. As the secrets of Level 0.8 and Phenomenon 24 were deciphered, incentive in maintaining and inhabiting research stations was dwindling, leading to their eventual abandonment. Today, remnants from both generations of settlements only exist in the rubble scattered throughout the sublevel.
Entrances[]
- Descending a 45-degree sloped hallway in its parent level will lead here;
- Noclipping through a hallway with leaking pipes in Level 268 sends one here;
- Immersing oneself within a swimming pool in Level 5 will lead one here;
- Falling asleep in a room with a corrupted television in Level 5.1 might lead one here;
- Noclipping through a submerged stalactite in Level 8 might lead one here;
- A blue door in Level 15 will lead here;
- Noclipping through water tanks within a factory in Level 503 will lead one here;
- Diving in shallower lakes in Level 339 will lead one here;
- Noclipping through a fountain in Level 405 will lead one here;
- Pressing a nonsensically positioned blue button on an Elevator will lead here.
Exits[]
- A rusty ladder leads back to Level 0;
- Finding a life float and wearing it sends one to Level 194;
- Noclipping through religious paintings in which deities are scribbled in black sends one to Level 106;
- Noclipping through a patch of pool tiles sends one to Level 37;
- Rarely, one may encounter an upward staircase leading to a dry attic-like room. Noclipping in that room sends one to The Attic;
- Noclipping through a concrete wall sends one to Level 1;
- Noclipping through an anomalously cold room containing ice sends one to Level 797.
- Attempting to dive into the water will send you to Level 7.
Greenlight and Critique: The local butcher/dietician.
Previous Author: ImposterSussus.
Images:
First image and image of the entity are from a found footage video of Level 0 being flooded.
Sources of other images are unfortunately unknown.
Music:
"IV1 Remaster - Lynch (Stage 3 - Alert Maintain)" by Xtrullor
Previous rendition can be found here.
|| Level 38.1 || Level 597 || Level 268 || Level 464 || Level 570 || Level 116 || Level 245 || Level 205 || Level 999 || Level 427 || Level 480 || Level 610 || Level 238 || One State || Level 416 || Level 490 || Camera's Obscurity || Level 479 || Object 38 || I ain't writing anymore (Joke) || Pan Dimensional Highway/G is for Gap || Object 17 || Call of the Deep || Level 169 || Phenomenon 24 || Level 0.8 || Level 982 || Level 11.9 || Backrooms Endings (Collab) || Level REDACTED || Level 959 ||
*includes collabs