Queen of Asgard (NaNoWriMo2018, Completed!)

23: The First Trial (Part One)

Even as I stepped up to the start of the obstacle course the world warped and suddenly I wasn't standing at the edge of a grassy field, but the edge of a tropical jungle. Already, I could feel the difference, the air became sticky and moist. It clung to my skin and hair, trapping the heat and offering no relief.

Test one, I thought as I stared into the thick green vines and twisted tree trunks. I had thought it would be starting on a simple, easy plain, an open, level field of short grass. I had planned that the start would be an easy pace, easy room to run and to see threats if they advanced. Not anymore.

Clever, very clever I had to admit. It was a test of adaptability, a way to measure how fast a competitor could think on their feet when the world went sideways, or in this case, changed landscapes and climates.

I wiped my forehead which was already beading up with sweat from the thick humidity and then walked into the thicket of trees.

The dense jungle was dark, varying in shades of brown, green and black. Overhead I heard birds chirping and other furry creatures moving about in the massive canopy. First things first, I thought as I ducked under a low-hanging vine. I need some tools.

Jungle was a hard enough place to survive as it was, but I knew it would come to an end soon enough and I'd be faced with another terrain that would come with its own set of challenges, not to mention warriors whose sole job would be to try and stop me from reaching the top of the mini-mountain.

I wanted to be prepared for those obstacles and a jungle certainly provided a chance to create a few tools to help with both of them. I ducked to the leaf-strewn ground and searched the earth, spotting several rocks along the ground. Perfect. I sifted through them, aware of the time ticking away, but as much as the time limit was grating in the back of my mind, I knew long-term I had to do this. I would need some rope to climb the mountain and since they hadn't provided me with any, I would have to create some myself.

Finally, I found a black rock, obsidian I thought that looked reasonably sharp and set to work. Looking up at the massive trees around me, I put the stone between my teeth and jumped upwards, hoping to reach a branch that was a few feet above my my head. I figured I could make it.

I was wrong.

I shot up passed the branch I had been aiming for and landed with a hard, dizzying thud into the fork of the tree at least ten feet up from where I had been on the ground. "Ow," I groaned around my makeshift knife feeling my head throb hotly and scratches burn on my face.

I had completely forgotten to take into account the potion Sif had given me. I wasn't working on human strength and speed right now, I was working with the Asgardian standard.

I grinned to myself and started to climb toward a thick bramble of vines not far from me and carefully walked out onto a thick limb. I grabbed three of the vines, each reasonably thick and quickly twisted them together. Once I'd done that, I dared to test it, pulling on the newly made coil which tightened but did not snap or give way.

I half-grinned. I wouldn't know if they'd be optimal for climbing until I actually had to climb, but they'd have to do for now. They seemed strong enough on their own when I'd found them and they were clearly even stronger when I combined them. Given how time was still ticking, I'd have to make do with what I had. I couldn't afford to keep spending time here.

I began cutting at the base of the vines, the rock sharp enough to shear through the plant fibers, but I still would have preferred a machete or something more effective. Once they had a fairly good tear in them, I put the stone carefully between my teeth and grabbed the vines with both hands and yanked.