oocGood thinking ![Grin :D](./images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
The final stretch was approaching fast, the competition between the two men having something to do with it for sure. However, it seemed part of the rock above the Kelvic was not in quite as good a shape as the parts below. It made sense of course; there was more wind here, and it was way colder than at the bottom. While the deterioration made for many cracks and crevasses, they were not really all that well suited for climbing purposes; the stone brittle and prone to breaking off. The pegs embedded in the wall also did not appear all that stable. Most likely part of the cliff would break off, destroying the anchor point of the climbing pins.
Well, at least that meant he could use the hand and foot holds still, which wasn't exactly bad. Though it did take a bit longer to clamber up than it would have, Brandon still made significant progress in not that much time, even though he had to search for places to put his hands and feet in for a bit longer than before. Not that it mattered that much; even if he was climbing as fast as he had when he'd started, he hadn't exactly been slow. The slowed rate of the bat's advance allowed his opponent to solidify his lead position though, and while it irked Brandon more than just a little, he focused on caution, gritting his teeth and bearing with it.
One hand was put in a hole, the other in a crack, and started hauling himself up while one foot stuffed itself in whatever space was available, the other pushing the weight of Brandon's body upwards. Some sweat ran past his eyes onto his upper lip, sitting there like some shiny, salty mustache. He had to reach out too far to get by this time, which was a little too taxing on his muscles, especially those in his arms. True, his body was honed through both training in martial arts and acrobatics, but having to rely solely on ones arms after rigorously climbing a cliff was not all that easy.
Soon enough though, the deteriorated part appeared to have been passed, and Brandon could work on catching up, accelerating to a speed higher than he'd used before. Again he wasn't picky with the positioning of his hands and feet, grabbing whatever was available, clambering like a madman chased by a pack of hungry wolves. It did not matter how much height he gained per motion, what mattered was the speed with which he could cover more distance. It did not take long for the bat to overtake his competitor, gaining more and more distance fast, though he did not bother to glance down to see just how much. From the sound alone he guessed it was about as much as he was tall, or something. Quite a bit, now he thought about it. But he did not slow down, the edge was drawing nearer, and Brandon would win by a league.
The sound of falling pebbles, and groans reached his ears, and the Kelvic was sure of his victory. From the noise he could tell the endal had managed to cling on for his dear life, but now there was no way he could win anymore.
Heh, I knew that would happen, the bat smirked,
guess I can take it easy now. And he did, starting to relax and slow down for the last few feet, confident in his victory. Perhaps overly so. Suddenly though, the endal was next to him again, fingers latched to the edge, and Bran cussed internally.
PETCH! Immediately the thief spoke to his muscles, ordering them to go all out, if only to avoid defeat. His arms hauled him over the edge in an instant, changing position so he could actually pull his feet on top of the plateau as well. Sadly, his much desired victory could not be obtained, instead he had to live with a draw.
Laughter came from the endal, who seemed rather happy with the situation, or perhaps he was just concealing his frustration. Bran turned away to stare down the ravine for a moment, catching the unexpected words of praise with not a small amount of disbelief. An endal actually not being a shykehead? That was new.
“All basics besides shooting a bow, you mean,” Brandon retorted, somehow liking the fact someone was actually acknowledging what the bat had been thinking from day one. A hand was extended, and the Kelvic hesitated for a tick, and then he accepted, grabbing it firmly.
“You're not half bad yourself,” he said, though despite the tone of voice used, it wasn't a compliment. His technique
was awful. He wasn't half bad, he was just bad. Period. But he had to admit that this Shadyn was not a terrible opponent. It was a remarkable feat to keep up with Brandon with such a flawed and lousy climbing technique, he found.
“I'm Brandon by the way. Brandon Blackwing.” He released the endal's hand, and walked away a couple steps, looking around at the sky that surrounded them. That dek was right; the view was indeed amazing. The freshly fallen night was clear, the starts shining overhead numerous. Leth gazed down too with his one silver orb, though the moon wasn't exactly full that night. It was getting cold though, and now his muscles were cooling down, shivers were starting to run down his spine. Brandon crossed his arms and continued to stare, not really thinking about anything, just relishing the view.