Chapter 216 - 216. Wires

As soon as Asher passed through the door he was met with a long passage full of wires. They were stretched at many angles. They were placed in ways that would make anyone trying to pass through duck and twist in strange ways. On top of that, there was a slight hum of electricity from them. 

Asher reached out a finger and gently touched one of the wires, "Dang! They are like those cattle fences. They zap people! Laura, I swear if you go through this on beginner mode I will make sure you have bad luck for life." Asher knew this was an empty threat but the situation was pushing him in to an adrenaline overdrive. 

He heard Jane coming in behind him, "I didn't see the point in waiting if we were all going in on hard mode. Good luck." Jane had partially wanted Asher to take the lead since she knew he would most likely find a safe way to move through. She also wanted to make sure that she and he would be the first two out. 

"Thanks, hopefully, you won't be talking to an Asher that has been zapped to ashes." He made a small joke trying to smile as he ducked under the first wire. It was not too hard and about waist height. This was the easy start that every camper would have and then begin to underestimate the rest of the course. 

The next group of wires were crossed in an X shape making him need to choose one of the triangular open areas to sneak through. The only problem was that these areas were directly moving in to the next section of wires. If he chose the wrong one he would end up needing to crawl on the floor or jump over wires. 

'Crawling on the floor seems easier. If I jump I can't control my movement.' This was a common thought for every camper that came to this section. Asher was better off going to the crawling section of wires since he would need to somehow control his in ait movement. The secret he missed though, was the fact that the jumping side was easier farther on. 

Asher slowly slid through the X shaped wires then immediately lowered his level and crawled under the next grouping. He was met with a wire right near his face on the other side. The had been hidden from view due to the angle he had been looking and if he wasn't careful he could have had a shocking meet and greet. 

Asher looked up and realized he needed to move up to his knees then hop over the wire since there was a net of wires above him. This was a tight fit but luckily he had been stretching often. The flexibility he had developed from his rag doll style also went hand in hand with his movements. 

Asher bent over the wide and slipped to the next sections which was a varying degree of levels. There was no way had could just walk through it without being zapped. Instead, if he wanted to get through he would need to use the highest skill he could in changing levels while in his stance. This made him work his core muscles intensely, "Good thing we didn't eat right after this." He said this to himself but Jane clearly heard it and watched to get a hint of what to do. 

Jane was having an easier time with things since she had stretched a lot more to develop flexibility. She had wanted to maximize the high kicks as best as she could and found that she was able to do so when she stretched more. The elite home gym system had also encouraged this since she was shown to excel with kicks over other attacks. 

The fluid motions she used made it appear that she was doing some form of interpretive dance. Her hair had been tightly bound in a ponytail so that she wouldn't get caught on any wires and zapped. Asher caught these movements for just a second and it was enough to make his heart stop. 

"Focus, FOCUS!" He shook his head to keep himself on track. Jane did not miss this and felt her face become red. The two were equally embarrassed and pushed themselves to stay on task. 

The last section that Asher came to looked easy enough. The wires were evenly set up so that he would just need to step over one then under, then over, then under. It was too simple. "This last one seems really suspicious. Any idea Laura!?" Asher knew that Laura wouldn't reply but he yelled back just to make himself feel a little better.

"Good luck!" This was what he heard from the other side of the long passage. Asher took this as an acknowledgment that Laura also thought it was a tough area. He sighed before he slowly stepped over the first wire. 

The resounding click and rhythmic hum made him start to sweat. The wires began to move and change positions making them cross and change levels. "Oh come on!" 

"Good Luck!" Laura yelled again hearing that Asher had discovered the evil of the last section. Asher had already realized why this obstacle was fun but also a challenge. Laura wouldn't have said this if it wasn't challenging for her as well. This obstacle was a huge trial for anyone that relied on speed. 

Asher bit his lip and flowed with the wires. He found the rhythm he needed by humming to the beat of the motors running to make the wires change level. This trick had come to him without thinking and he was glad to be able to change levels fast enough to dodge the changing wires. The fear of being zapped also made him react faster which he wouldn't do if it was not as such. The fact that he was on hard mode was actually a blessing to make him train harder and more efficiently. 

The hours of stance and footwork training they had done was clear here and made them all exceed in this obstacle. Laura was the last to enter but couldn't believe the sight she was seeing. This was the hardest obstacle for her and she was being easily beaten in it. The fire that started in her to become stronger burned bright in this instance.