| Abraxan
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Perth, AU (GMT +8)
Posts: 25,070
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jasper Hart
First Year
  x10  x10
|  #3 ½ EagleBrain ♥ Creeperdoodle ♥ Raven Dor ♥ Berry ♥ ½ Team House Elf
Hanging limply wasn’t going to get him anywhere, and even though the pain in his hands was begging him to let go of the metal bar he was clinging to… he knew that would mean failure, and as he was uncertain of the repercussions of touching the cobblestone he didn’t want to risk it. Disqualification was not for him.
Inhaling a deep breath, Zeke grimaced a little as he tried pulling himself up. It was no easy feat, but he was thankful that he was able to gain some ground, crawling his way up enough to place a foot on flat ground between the bars, he then rose to a stand. He was hanging off the side of the balcony somewhat precariously, so he didn’t waste time in swinging his legs over, one by one. As sturdy as the railing had felt in his hands, he wasn’t sure it was still fixed to the building as strongly. The second he was over, Zeke unwrapped the rope from his hand, coiling it back around his shoulder. His hands stung. It wasn’t quite rope burn, but it wasn’t pleasant… he hoped he pain would subside soon… he still had a fair way to go.
With this in mind, he began assessing how he would progress from here. Preferably without the need to rely on his hands so that they might recover somewhat before the end of the challenge. From here he could see down into the pit, the end of the sidewalk disappearing from view beneath him. Taking a moment to look up, Zeke couldn’t see any viable way to climb onto the roof, even if he stood on the edge of the balcony to give him height. Leaning and hanging off the other side of the building wasn’t high on his list of things to-do, so before he even considered that as an option, Zeke turned to go inside. If he was lucky, he might find something to help him. A tool… if not a clear passage to a higher floor.
If he thought the stairs were in bad condition in the first house, the second wasn’t much better. There were bigger gaps in staircase and a strange smell lingered on the air, making his nose twitch… did something die in here?
Though he knew this was all set up, that the whole scenario was fake and that it was designed to be a safe way for them to test their skill, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t want to be there. Going up would be trickier than hanging off the side of the building, this much he was confident about, and going down would likely be a waste of time… so as far as he could tell, there was only one way to get across. Out the window again.
Returning to the balcony, Zeke climbed up to stand on the metal railing, but the gap didn’t inspire him to jump. His hands were still throbbing from earlier, and a part of him didn’t trust them to get him to the other side. Hopping down and back to the relative safety of the balcony floor, Zeke stood for a moment, hands on hips, contemplating his options. He had rope. Rope. What could he do with that? Throw it over and try to tie it to form a tightrope? Did he even want a tightrope? And if he tied it, could he get it back? In his eyes, rope was VERY valuable, he wasn’t ready to part with it.
Frowning in concentration, Zeke went back inside, and inspected the only other resource he could safely get his hands on. A step. Or more to the point, the plank which formed the step. Most were damaged, but there were still a few that seemed whole enough. So getting on hands and knees, Zeke gripped the edge of an exposed one just below him, and tried pulling it up. Ugh.
Uuuuggghhh.
UUUURRGGGHHHHH.
“Come. On!” He was pulling, and tugging, and putting his whole bodyweight into attempting to lift it. How long he spent trying, he couldn’t say for sure. But there was a chance that what had felt like many minutes to him, were mere seconds… or just fewer minutes. Ahem. Eventually the nails did pull loose, and as the last of the nail gave way to the support beams beneath, Zeke found himself flying back against the wall with a plank in hand. SUCCESS!
Too excited by his triumph, Zeke rushed back outside and held the plank over the divide. It was long enough… just… and with the nails still it in, it gave it some more support, preventing him from being able to knock it over the edge. Placing it down gently, Zeke tricked rocking it back and forth, but the nails only allowed it to slide a fraction. HUZZAH! He could walk across!
Wiping away a few beads of sweat that had formed on his brow, Zeke mounted the balcony bars again and with two swift steps, darted across to the next. He was slightly out of breath, but not from exertion, it was the adrenaline in his system. His hazel eyes were bright, he was alert, and he was ready to tackle this thing head on. He was almost there!
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