Chapter 162: High in the Sky

“Are those buzz saws?”

Those were, in fact, buzz saws. At least the handholds on the sheer face of the stone wall were marked with yellow paint. That seemed to be the least of Ann’s worries as she stared up at the climb ahead of her. Every now and then, something popped out of the wall in seemingly random intervals. Sweeping saws, punching pillars, jets of steam, the cold fire she’d seen before.

“They’re blunted,” Kat said, not at all reassuring Ann. “Just knock ye off.”

“Into a freefall onto the hard stone.”

“That’ll be stopped.”

“Mostly.”

“Too late tae back down now. Ye’re the most nimble, so ye get tae go first. Get up there, ye cur,” Kat laughed with a slap to Ann’s ass.

Grumbling, Ann stepped up to the wall and took hold of the first set of handholds.

“Keep yer body close tae the wall. Makes it easier,” Kat coached.

“Thanks,” Ann grunted as she began her ascent. The first couple of feet were normal climbing. One foot moved, then one hand, then the other foot, other hand. She listened to Kat, keeping her chest as close to the wall as she could without scraping her tits on the rough stone. Cursing her Goddess-blessed body for the first time in a while, she hauled herself into the first trap. A cylinder of stone shot out. Ann felt it hit her side as she twisted to the side. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the stone was gone. Ann hung there for a moment. Blinking a couple times, she returned to the wall, and continued climbing.

“Only way is up. You’re the nimble one. You get to go first,” Ann grumbled. Curling up, she avoided a saw that came sweeping out at her legs. “Trigger all the traps so we don’t have to. Guess it makes sense, but still. Not a rock climber. Never done this before. Though it’ll help Rosalyn. Don’t think Kat can carry her doing all this. Oops!”

A blast of frozen air hit her side. Instinctively, she curled, twisting away from the pain. Her left arm and leg clenched reflexively and lost their grip. One paw, one hand, she dangled again. Now that she knew where the trap was, she could stay out of the way for a moment, and checked on the rest.

Bren was a few feet below her, climbing as steadily as he did all things in life. It was plain he was exerting himself, but not overly so. Lucia had started her ascent behind him, about ten feet up at this point. Rosalyn was talking with Kat far below, out of Ann’s hearing, but it looked like the Alfhindur was giving her tips and coaching her. It was most likely that Kat would be climbing last just in case Rosalyn lost her grip and needed to be caught. Only the powerful fighter had the grip strength to deal with that.

Speaking of grip strength, Ann needed to keep going. The next part was tricky. Two rotating logs with long pegs rotated above her, blocking the only way up. She needed to time her climb up carefully, or she’d be knocked off to a humiliating fall. She debated using Burst of Speed here, but decided against it. Making sure Rosalyn could make it through this was the more important part of this climb. With a soft whoosh, the first dowel swooped out from the alcove carved in the wall, passing over her head. Quickly, she scrambled up to the next set of handholds, but her feet dangled too far. The only way she could hang would have her feet below the slot. At the same time, the rods above her spun by. Pulling with just her arms, she got her legs out of the way, then got her feet into the old handhold. Now she was set to be knocked off by the upper set of spinning traps. A groaning pull, and she was able to get to the next set of handholds, lifting herself out of the way.

“Shit. Those were far apart,” Ann panted, taking a moment. “Hope Rosalyn can figure out a way to reach those. Bren, careful on these. Gotta do it in one go.”

“Understood,” the man called back, getting in position to make his attempt.

Ann stuck around just above the section. It was almost the end of the climb, so if Bren needed to grab on to her, she could at least try to help.

To his credit, Bren got past the first spinning log without issue. The second gave him a little trouble. He mistimed it and had to scramble upwards, hands reaching desperately for anything.

Ann gripped hard and kicked a leg out at him. Bren caught it and pulled hard, hauling himself up.

“Thank you. Continue. Lucia will be fine.”

“No doubt in my mind,” Ann chuckled.

She still had to duck a passing gout of coldflame on the last stretch, but it was minor in comparison to the rest. At the top, she reached a floating platform that required a quick leap off the wall to clamber on. Once there, she helped Bren, then Lucia onto the waiting checkpoint.

“How’s Rosalyn doing?” Ann asked, leaning out over the edge to check on the Druid.

“I hate this!” Rosalyn cried, just before the spinning logs. “This sucks and I don’t want to fall it’s scary and high and I didn’t think I’d hate this so much!”

“Come on,” Kat encouraged right below her. “This is the hardest part o’ the whole thing. Ye get past this, an’ yer golden. Don’t worry about fallin’. I’ll catch ye. Remember, ye gotta go fast. Use the slots the poles come outta tae lift yerself.”

“I… I’ll try,” Rosalyn mumbled, watching the spinning contraptions. “Can you count me down? Please? I don’t think I can go without it cause what if I time it wrong and then just boing and fail?”

“Aye,” Kat nodded, watching the interval for Rosalyn’s opening. “Three, two, one, now!”

Rosalyn strained, lifting herself up and grabbing the first slot just after a pole swept out. She heaved herself up and got her feet into the former handholds. Not stopping for a moment, she reached for the intermediary handholds and got herself standing on the slot.

“Beam comin’ fer feet,” Kat warned.

Rosalyn lifted her feet, letting the beam pass by, then stood back up.

“Next climb. Three, two, one, go!” Kat shouted.

Rosalyn, spurred by Kat’s order, got herself up to the next slot, then up above the dangerous gap in the rock. Her feet, once again, were using the trap to stand.

“Move yer feet!” Kat called again.

At last, Rosalyn was out of the way, holding on to the wall, and sweating heavily. “Aaaaannn! This suuuucks! Help meeee!”

“Once you’re up here, I’ve got you,” Ann called back. “Keep taking it nice and easy, love. Almost there. Careful with the jet. Doing ok, Kat?”

“Aye, takin’ me time. No worries!”

Rosalyn slowly made her way upward. Each movement had Ann clenching the side of the platform as she watched helplessly. Kat had her, and made it through the spinning logs easily, but Ann wanted to be doing something. It ate at her as Rosalyn crept past the jet of coldflame, and reached the final jump.

“Alright, you’ve gotta jump, Rosalyn. You’ve got this. I’ve got you.”

“Holy Hells it’s so far up. So far up. Such a long fall. I’m scared.”

“Jump. Have you,” Lucia repeated, joining Ann at the edge. “Close eyes. Hands out. Jump hard.”

“Okaaay,” Rosalyn quavered. She scrunched up her eyes, turned her torso and jumped as hard as she could. A quick scream left her lips as she felt herself fall… only to have firm hands catch her wrists. Ann didn’t let her hang longer than it took to get her own balance, then hauled the Druid up with Lucia’s help.

“Oh, thank you both. Oh, my Gods that was so scary. Illdall save me, we’re going to be doing more jumping, aren’t we?”

Ann glanced behind her at the next gauntlet. “Yeaaah. Gonna be a bit more.”

The platform crunched audibly as Kat grabbed the edge and pulled herself to safety. “Hah, that was fun. Don’t get tae climb like that too much. Might make it a habit.”

“Good full-body workout,” Ann nodded. “But a bit too specialised for us. Anyone need a breather before we keep going?”

“Just a sec,” Rosalyn huffed. “Still… working on it.”

Bren pulled out a book and laid it down, the soft blue glow of the stamina restoration emanating from the pages. “That should hasten the process. You are doing well for someone not as acclimated to this type of exercise.”

“You seem fine, even if you spend all day reading books and talking to people,” Rosalyn grumbled.

“Keeping up with Kat has hardened my body to extents I never expected,” Bren shrugged. “I have learned to work outside the limits of my comfort. Take heart, you will get used to it.”

“One way or another,” Kat chuckled, nudging the Druid. “Gonna get ye all fit an’ skinny like Ann.”

“No!” Ann protested. “I like her the way she is. Nothing wrong with a little chubbiness.”

“Just sayin’,” Kat shrugged. “Kinda how this adventurin’ thing works.”

“I’m ready to go now,” Rosalyn said, standing back up. “What torture do they have for us next?”

Ann wanted to know herself, and surveyed the next set of obstacles. Moving platforms were the first set. Three-foot squares of stone travelling left to right over empty space. Each successive platform moved faster and faster before the final set. After that, it looked like an agility section with flames moving toward them at varying heights. What was beyond, Ann couldn’t see.

“Well, at least this one is just timing. Kat, you last again, or do you want to take the front?”

“Got me the front. Bren’s good at patterns, he can go last.”

“Agreed. A simple task.”

Kat proved him correct as she skipped over the first three platforms with ease. The fourth gave her pause, and she had to really focus on the fifth. Sixth and last looked legitimately hard for her, but she caught the edge and kept herself upright. Once she was there, getting to the narrow section before the safe platform was a test of her reflexes, but she did well.

Lucia took the next attempt and crossed steadily, only stumbling on the last platform. Her footing steadied, she hopped to safety easily.

“Now it’s my turn,” Rosalyn groaned.

“Take it easy, stay low to the platform, and you’ll be fine,” Ann encouraged. “If the platforms were a little bigger, I’d cross with you.”

“But they aren’t, so I get to do this alone again. UGH!” Rosalyn stepped out and landed on the first platform easily enough, then the second.

Ann followed her, not wanting to give her the chance to fall if she ran into issues. She started slowing down on the third platform and was nearly petrified on the fourth.

“Come on. You’ve got this,” Ann encouraged her nervous girlfriend. “Just take it at your own pace.”

“I know! Keep telling me,” Rosalyn grumbled, eyes still fixed on the next platform as it swept by. “Why do they all have to move? Couldn’t one just stay still while the other moves? Make it much easier, but no, gotta have a challenge.”

“I mean, that’s what an obstacle course is.”

“Not helping.”

“Sorry!”

“Ok. Ok, ok, ok, now!” Rosalyn hopped to the next stage, wobbled, and fell to her knees. Safe. “Two more.”

“Yup,” Ann said, making her own leap. Her natural balance was giving her a rather unfair advantage, she felt. Stepping across the gap, she was easily able to adjust to account for her inertia.

“Use Entangle for the last two,” Ann suggested. “Can’t fall off if you’re stuck to the platform.”

“True. Gonna. Just after… this… jump!” Rosalyn let out a yelp as she made the leap. She landed in a very undignified manner, but she didn’t fall. Ann deftly followed, padded feet hitting stone as her legs adjusted to the new direction of movement.

“Alright, entangle’s up,” Rosalyn muttered to herself as vines grew out of the next platform. “Just gotta land in it. Gotta go… now!” She leapt and curled up. Not what Ann would have done, but when she hit the platform, the vines wrapped around Rosalyn, holding her tight. “Woo! It worked! Ok, so that’s a good use. Just gotta do it for the last one. One last part.”

Ann took the next leap forward while Rosalyn was getting ready. This one took her a second to get the timing right, but once she focused, it got easier.

“Now? No, no. Not yet, yes, no.” Rosalyn grumbled. She was freaking out, and Ann couldn’t blame her. That last platform was fast, and one wrong step meant falling to failure. “Now!”

Rosalyn leapt. Leapt and missed.

“Shit,” Ann cursed. She took the fraction of a second to find her path, used Burst of Speed, and pushed off her ledge. One foot hit the platform Rosalyn had just jumped off, angling to the Druid’s right. The area with Entangle, safety and the end, was to her left. Ann kicked off hard. Air whistled as she tackled Rosalyn midair, then felt muscular arms catching them both. Kat stood there, her feet anchored in the vines, keeping them both from falling to their dooms.

“That was risky,” Kat laughed, a bit more wild than normal. “Gave me a blasted heart attack.”

“Sorry, I got the time wrong,” Rosalyn muttered, her face pressed firmly into Kat’s chest. “Bad at this.”

“Aye, ye really are. Can ye release the vines? Need tae get out o’ the way fer Bren.”

“Oh, right.” With a wave of Rosalyn’s hand, the vines withered and faded. Kat didn’t let them go, and carried them to a wider section before the next obstacle.

Ann turned to look and saw Bren peacefully walking his way over the platforms. He took his time, but didn’t stop moving. Swaying with practised ease, he adjusted his body to each platform, then stepped out to the next without a wasted movement. Only the last platform made him wait a couple passes before he nimbly hopped over the gap.

“You sure you don’t have crazy high dexterity?” Ann asked. “You made that look easy.”

“It is simply a pattern. Once you understand how it moves, you can move with it. I fear this next portion will give me more trouble.”

“No,” Lucia said. “Is easiest. Use shields. We walk together.”

“Aw, but that’s kinda spoiling the fun of it,” Ann groaned.

“Then go last. This efficient.”

“I’m all for efficient, personally,” Rosalyn decided. “Have had my fill of stress for the day, thank you.”

“I’ll go with ‘em. Just in case.”

With that, Ann was left behind while the other four passed the gouts of coldflame. Bren erected barriers as they passed each spout, blocking them completely.

“Definitely cheating,” Ann grumbled.

“Alright, we’re across. Come on, Ann! This is the end!”

Ann nodded to herself, took a deep breath and strode forward. The first jet was at chest height, and she ducked under easily. She had to flatten her ears, but the fire passed overhead harmlessly. The next was a double jet with one at her feet and chest. It forced her to leap over. As she crested the barrier, she saw the next was the opposite, with a low opening. Hitting the platform, she tucked and rolled. Gaining her feet, she leapt over the next low flame, then dove through a centre opening. She’d played plenty of games with this mechanic, and had always sucked at them, but doing it with her own body seemed to change things. She couldn’t help but laugh as she got into the rhythm. Up, centre, up, down, centre, centre, down, down, up. Weaving through like a dancer, she was having a blast. Frost crusted her tail as she barely avoided the danger, but she kept going. The course seemed to realise she was almost at an end and threw the walls at her faster. She sped up and kept moving forward. The rhythm of diving, rolling, leaping was exhilarating. Sadly, it had to come to an end, eventually.

Panting, with a massive smile on her face, she landed before her party on one paw. With a silly spin, she flicked off the frost clinging to her fur and took a bow.

“You goof,” Rosalyn giggled. “I never could have done that.”

“Shite, I’d have had a hard time. Ye were movin’ like the wind.”

“I believe this is to keep winners minimal. A difficult final test for anyone who makes it this far seems appropriate.”

“Near impossible. Need skills.”

“Good thing we had Bren,” Rosalyn said. “Now how do we get down? I see the finish line down there, but nothing else.”

“Easy,” Kat said, taking a step up to the edge. She spun on her heel, spread her arms wide, and fell off the platform backwards.

“Kat!” Rosalyn cried, running to the lip. Ann joined her to see Kat plummet. Just before she landed, runes flashed on the stone below her, and any downward movement was slowed to a crawl. Kat landed lightly and beckoned for the rest to follow.

Lucia was next, simply stepping off the platform, with Bren shortly after her.

“Wanna go together?” Ann asked, offering her hand to Rosalyn.

“Yeaaah, I think I do.”

Holding hands, the pair leapt into empty space. Ann felt her stomach drop as gravity took hold. She thought she’d get used to falling with how much she was jumping around in fights, but it still freaked her out. Rosalyn’s scream told everyone exactly how the Druid felt about the whole thing. Landing felt like they hit a cushion. Everything slowed down, and they drifted to safety.

“See? Wasn’t that bad,” Kat laughed, taking Rosalyn’s other hand.

“We’re getting sweets after this,” Rosalyn demanded as they walked across the finish line together.

“Would like,” Lucia agreed.

“With that, the party of Katlyn Farragher has crossed the finish line. Twenty minutes for a party of five! Sadly not in our top rankings, but an admirable performance nonetheless!” Cheers and applause from the stands accompanied the announcer’s voice. “Please make your way to the exit, and have a wonderful rest of your day!”

Leaving through the same arches they entered through, the line of aspirants gave them similar applause.

“Still feels weird being a celebrity,” Ann chuckled to herself.

“Well, get used tae it. Come on, let’s get these two somethin’ tasty,” Kat said, hooking her arms over Rosalyn and Lucia’s shoulders. With how short Rosalyn was, comparatively, the motion looked completely ridiculous.

“Utterly ridiculous,” Bren sighed. Ann caught the mirth in his eyes, though, as they walked off into the crowds.