Norbert looked out towards the course, seeing some people already trying to tackle it. Slowly they made their way across, up the wall they climbed, going over the single file, jumping down to the next section, watching some people were shoved off, their impatience rewarded with a school of people falling, only to make their way across to the start, the sand there seeming to carry them over.

Watching Norbert feel Obsius take off into the air, he flew around the obstacle course. Down the bird flew over the wall, through the ropes hanging off, slipping between the sections that jutted out at people and through the end. Looking around, he came back and did it again. This time even faster than before.

And so everyone stared at the bird as it completed before sitting back down on Norbert's shoulder, crying victory over the rest of the people there.

Obsius's cry woke them up from their stupor. They all rushed to the obstacle course as a group, climbing over each other without waiting for a clear shot. Norbert turned to face Obsius, looking at him, knowing the bird was full of itself for causing such panic. Taking a breath, Norbert moved the backpack on his shoulders, getting it into a comfortable position. He reached for the two straps on the side, tightening it up as much as possible to stop it from moving around as much as possible.

Testing Norbert did some jumping jacks and burpees, confirming that it stayed in position when he landed on the floor and jumped back up again; Norbert looked around and walked up to the wall. Feeling it on his hand, Norbert confirmed it was sandstone; when rubbing his hand on it, he felt it come off in pieces. Stopping, Norbert saw it form again into the wall after some time. Once more complete.

CRASH

Norbert looked up, only seeing the wall. Norbert walked around to see what had happened. Someone had reached the hammers that swung when needing to run between them and saw the person on the side, far away. Looking at the hammer that hit him, it was cracked over, only half of it keeping shape. As Norbert looked over to the person, he saw it was one of the three he had run with for the longest time.

Staring, he saw the person slowly move to the side opposite Norbert; the sand had moved him there before dumping him. Slowly the body moved around, smiling towards anyone that saw. Walking forward, Norbert let his hand down; looking up, the person saw his hand, reaching up and pulling himself up. Staring at the man, Norbert had to raise his head slightly unnaturally. Looking, he saw it was the same one with long orange hair.

Smiling, Norbert looked at him. "You took quite the hit there. Don't know if I would have even survived that."

The man looked back, still smiling. "Aye, quite a hit that was. I'll best be off; thanks for the help."

Walking away, the man started to the wall again. Before stopping and spinning on his feet, "Names Grosly, almost forgot", he said before walking away again.

Waving back, Norbert shouted, "Norbert!" receiving a raised hand from Grossly.

Watching Norbert saw Grosly make his way once more to the wall before bounding up it.

Missing his chance at the empty wall, Norbert just stepped up. He was looking up at it being nearly 3 meters high. Reaching for the hand holds jutting out; he climbed up. Lifting himself, Norbert found the foot holds and hand holds easy, almost like they were placed there just for him. He was on the wall in no time, seeing the foot-wide path ahead of him.

Looking forward, Norbert saw Grosly already ahead, past the tight walk and onto the next part. Letting him go from his mind Norbert stepped up to the plank, placing his arms on the side of him and carefully making it one step at a time. Keeping his eyes ahead, Norbert did not look down, each foot right in front of the next. Wobbling slightly, Norbert stepped out onto the other side.

Standing on the next platform, he waited for the people to go first. He saw pads needed to jump from the left and right, looking like he needed one step. Seeing it, Norbert jumped for the first platform; Norbert pushed himself to the next on the opposite side and jumped forward again to the left. Norbert stumbled, not able to properly push off. He flailed in the air before smacking into the sand below.

Feeling more like landing on his bed after a long day rather than sand, Norbert felt it slowly move himself to the shore again. Watching the people above try and make it. Once at the shore near the wall, Norbert stood up, brushed himself down and jogged over to the wall again, climbing back up.

Once more, after completing the tight platform, he looked to the jumping platforms. Jumping off to the right, Norbert successfully pushed himself across, making it past the five jump plates and onto the next platform. Looking forward, now fewer people than before, Norbert saw the shoulder-width plank of sand. Seeing on the side swinging were hammers. Looking up, Norbert could see nothing fixing the handles together, allowing it to spin. Chalking it up to magic, Norbert watched as it moved, studying the timing and not wanting to get smashed like Grosly from before.

As Norbert looked at it, someone rushed past him; seeing them step, they made it past the first hammer, weaving through the second. The third came quicker than the others, smashing them in the side and sending them flying off. Looking at the hammer, the sandstone it was made of had only a few cracks.

Gulping, Norbert looked ahead, seeing his fate sway in front of him. Seeing the first pass, Norbert sprinted forward, not wanting to get hit. Seeing the second, he slipped passed it, the third reversing again too quickly. Ducking down, Norbert felt the breeze go over his head before being yanked off the platform and spinning off.

Feeling the backpack straps dig into his shoulders, Norbert fell into the sand, feeling it take his body once more to the start. At that moment, Norbert forgot one of the grand rules, never take off the backpack.

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Climbing to the start, he looked around inside the backpack, ensuring no sand or dirt was inside. Tipping out what he found, Norbert saw it slowly glide back into the pool. Breathing in, Norbert climbed the rock wall once more.

***

The fifth hammer grazed in front of his face, and Norbert felt it whip the hairs on his head. Norbert stepped across. Finally, on a secure platform, Norbert looked at the next challenge before him. At this point, the number of people was far less. Looking forward, Norbert saw Grosly and one other a couple of platforms ahead.

Looking at the next one seemed easy enough, only some ropes hanging down. Looking at them and not seeing any knot or platform at the bottom, Norbert saw it would be much more trying than usual.

Next up, he grabbed the rope in both hands, imaging tying his legs around the base to hold him. With a Tarzan yell, he propelled himself to the next rope. Having one arm off, he grabbed onto the next rope. He was holding himself on and stopping him from going back.

Untangling his feet, he occupied himself once more with his feet, pulling himself back on the old rope before letting go and reaching for the next one. Norbert continued this throughout the rope climbing section of the obstacle course.

Finally, his feet were on the other side, not dropping into the sand even once Norbert rested, his arms shaking from holding himself up. Looking at the next one, his face dropped. On the left-hand side was a wall. Staff randomly emerged from the wall, looking to poke you off the half-foot comprehensive platform. Norbert looked, not seeing a way to get across without relying on pure luck.

Whipping his hands on his pants as best he could, Norbert breathed in again. Looking and trying to see if there was some pattern to them. Staring at it for at least five minutes, Norbert was as perplexed as before, not seeing any way to dodge the staff.

Seeing others pass him and attempt it seemed to change each time, all at random. Looking at it an idea appeared for Norbert. Seeing that most of them was hit within the first third of the obstacle, Norbert wiped his hands once more, removing the sweat that built up on them.

Carefully he dropped his legs from the platform, grabbing the slight ledge with his fingers. Digging in, Norbert focused once more on the blood in his body, breathing in and going to his fingers, strengthening them and making them fresh instantly.

Opening his eyes, Norbert saw a faint shimmer of light on them, able to barely see it due to the sun's high overhead. Looking at the challenge, he grabbed the ledge with his fingertips and carried himself across.

Slowly Norbert shuffled his hands; each time, moving even a finger made it feel even harder to hold on. Just focusing on his breathing to try and keep it up, Norbert closed his eyes. Trying to drown out the sound of the staff whistling through the air, any of them making his return to the start again. Reaching out one last time, Norbert's arm hit the side.

Opening his eyes, he saw the next platform and a hand reaching down. Grabbing it, Norbert was pulled up by someone he did not recognise.

"Thanks for the lift."

The other person just nodded before looking at the next section. Norbert followed their eyes as well. They saw a seesaw that erratically moved, trying to catapult people off.

Norbert looked at this one, feeling the adrenalin from before rushing ahead past the person. Seeing it come towards him, Norbert rushed forward, jumping as high as he could.

Just as his foot was about to land, it jumped up, causing it to crash into him. Bending his leg to brace, Norbert continued to run, not letting it break his stride as he jumped off to the following see-saw.

When he was pushing down to jump, the platform dropped from under him. Sailing forward, Norbert smashed his chest into the next one. Not wanting to let go, Norbert grabbed on for dear life, feeling it fling him up.

Letting go, Norbert launched himself forward; letting go, Norbert raised into the air before falling back down on the ground again. With a crunch, Norbert landed on the next platform in a heap, not believing what he had just somehow done.

Looking forward, Norbert breathed out, unprepared for the next part of the challenge.

***

And so Norbert and the group slowly progressed, many times needing to go back to the start, crossing hurdles, under rope nets, over tires and even just a long jump section. Norbert slowly made his way across until he finally reached the final platform.

Looking at it, Norbert saw the ten by ten square field of sand platforms. Seeing others ahead, some standing up and others not, Norbert said a quick prayer to Lady Luck before pulling out his coin from his pants and flicking it into the air. Heads for right and tails for left.

Opening his palm, Norbert saw the tails facing him. Putting it back in his backpack, Norbert looked towards a possible path. Staying on the left-hand side Norbert just rushed ahead, taking the giant leaps possible over the board.

He went over one after the other, each leap planting squarely in the middle of each tile Norbert ran across. Jumping as hard as he did, zig-zagging to the left and right, Norbert reached the other side.

A ladder led down to the floor on the last platform. With no more fanfare, Norbert climbed down, standing once more on the dusty ground. Norbert walked back to the start.

Nine more times.

***

And Norbert did run all of those times and more. Once reaching the ten, others started to leave until only Norbert and Obsius were left. Norbert had lost track of time on how long he had been there.

As the sun slowly set, Norbert climbed up the wall one last time. Looking down at Obsius standing on the wall next to him, nearly invisible in the half-dark, even with Norbert's increased eyesight, he could only see the bird due to the white speckles on him.

Breathing in once more, wanting to get at least one perfect run without being hit, Norbert blasted off. Running straight across the balancing beam, not even stopping or holding out his hands, Norbert used his momentum to run and jump onto the platforms on the side.

Slipping between the hammers coming down, Norbert squished his body to the side with the staff, wanting to do it properly.

Feeling one come out at him, Norbert held onto it, feeling his body weight over the precipice; Norbert waited, feeling the staff slightly bend before it was shot back inside, pulling Norbert up; not having any time to calm himself, Norbert shot forward, and onto the rope section.

Going full Tarzan and not even holding with his feet, Norbert had one hand on each rope, swinging himself across. Over the tires, skidding under the net, Norbert made his way to the platform.

Now, after trying so many times, Norbert found the pattern based on the previous person's attempt. Shuffling it within that side and going in a clockwise direction of forward, left, backwards, right, and forward again.

Causing the person to need to do half jumps backwards sometimes, throwing most people in for a loop until someone found out how to do it and shared it with the others.

Over the platforms, he made it; what was once a challenge was now accessible, and he could almost do it with his eyes closed. Almost though, Norbert knew he wasn't there yet, even with the half-light causing no challenge.

As he stood on the platform, with the ladder leading to the ground, Obsius once more landed on Norbert's shoulder, and they descended onto the dusty ground.

Norbert looked around, having lost track of the direction needed. Looking at Obsius, the bird pecked his head again before flying into the air.

In the darkness, Norbert followed Obsius, running as fast as he could until he saw things jutting out in the distance. Smiling to have found the resting sight, Norbert pushed on further, making the last sprint at the end.