The plan was simple: Only grab above the nails; don't fall.

"And don't look down," Kopius said aloud as a reminder.

With his gear tied to his back, placing one foot on the first plank, he gazed up. Though he had little confidence in the integrity of the wood, he saw no other options. The cave that led him here was the only path, it was unclear or unhelpful to mull over death at the moment and now his stomach had chimed in. For better or for worse, when he put his mind to something, it got done… or undone.

There was little toe room on the two inch thick planks and Kopius couldn't slide his foot in as it was blocked by the wall. Instead, he found he would have to assume a knocked-knee position to step up, using the outside edge of his foot.

Awkward though the position was, Kopius wanted to distribute his weight evenly so as to not chance breaking anything. Taking a few breaths, he set his mind to the task and started to climb.

Raising the leg opposite of the gripping hand, he pressed up. After clearing the broken planks, Kopius found that even had he wanted to, looking down would mean make him fall. His chin had to be in a slight upward angle so that he could keep his chest as close to the cave wall as possible. This made placing his feet properly a lot harder; as did his body odor emanating from his armpits.

He creeped up the planks, clearing five more before he stopped cold.

CREEAaaakkkkk

He could feel the tension give slightly in the board of his right hand so he eased a bit but not enough to let go. Jiggling it as best he could, the board moved a bit, in and out, making the smallest of rubbing noise.

The small pause in his climbing brought to the front of his mind the ever present feeling of his muscles starting to burn. It was unfamiliar, unlike the usual burn from hard exercise as it felt more like a deflating balloon.

Ah shit! They have a stamina drain? Kopius reprimanded himself for not considering that staple RPG element.

If he had a free hand to slap his forehead, this would have been the moment. The boards creaked and complained as he continued seeing that he wouldn't just jump off now. Keeping his eyes to the sky, he began to get a better view of the cave's ceiling; where it ended, where the light began.

The ceiling of the cave came up at a vertical slant until stopping, leaving a two to three foot crevasse between it and the wall he was attempting to scale. From there he couldn't tell how far it went up but he figured, if he could reach the crevasse, stabilizing himself would get much easier.

He also wasn't sure when his stamina would run out and that small enclosed space could grant him a respite if wedged properly. Seeing the metaphorical and literal light at the end of the tunnel, Kopius kept climbing. He sang internally to keep his mind busy, You gotta put one foot in front of the other...don't fall down, down, down.

The cave wall indented a little, creating a shelf of sorts. Where Kopius had hoped to find a plank he found emptiness. A cold sweat ran down his spine and his arms were feeling the burn of the climb. Like the cat on the wrong side of a locked bathroom door, he searched the area swiping for a ledge.

He was on the verge of being frantic when his thumb hit a protrusion on the surface, he grabbed the exposed spike quickly. Not able to waste any time and with just his two fingers wrapped around the nail he pulled himself up. He could feel the nail strain against his squeezing fingers, threatening to cut open his skin. It gave no indication of coming free–until it did. His hand, nail still in his grip, slipped away from the surface and him away from the wall.

Heart racing and with more luck than awareness, his flailing hand let go of the large spike and came down like a high five to the nails' old home. He slid his hand quickly over and whacked his finger against the other nail of the missing plank, grabbing ahold with just his pinky and index fingers.

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Praying for a different result, Kopius used his other hand had and placed a death grip on the next board. He strained from the awkward hold, pulling himself, willing himself, passed the danger. His head reached the beginning of the small crevasse and he got the slimmest whiff of fresh air. A needed burst of adrenaline coming with it.

His fingers were starting cramp and the cockeyed way his legs were positioned made muscles he didn't even know exist burn. Only his shoulders had breasted the space between the wall and the ceiling and he pushed further, racing against the accelerating fatigue in all of his limbs.

Putting the heave in ho, Kopius pushed his limits.

"Just..." Kopius grunted, moving up a plank.

"...keep…" he continued, finding purchase for his next step.

"...swimming." he groaned, pulling himself through the crease in the ceiling.

To his surprise and relief, the wall opposite the ladder had a rough oval shape seat poorly carved into the stone. It resembled those extremely uncomfortable seats that are more dysfunctional egg shaped decorations than usable chairs. Without a consideration for traps or danger, he rammed his foot hard against the curved surface just as his other foot slipped off the plank. The foot swung out into space and he gripped the planks so tight it might have created heat.

He found himself secured at an upward angle, one foot dangling in the openness; his hands holding for dear life.

His heart hammered so hard in his chest it felt like Thor was trying escape from it. He would have looked down to see if it had actually pounded out of his chest but securing his second foothold was a more pressing matter.

Securing his other foot, Kopius found himself in another odd position. He resembled a small child pushing a heavy shopping cart or a person trying to keep a large pane of sheet rock vertical. Sweat leaked from his scalp. Most of it dripping off his chin while others found facial crevasses. Some stung at his vision making him shake his head to be free from the dribbles.

The precarious angle did come with much appreciated advantage; he was able to–carefully–allow his limbs to rest.

Once he felt comfortable that his position was secured, he–one by one–let an arm or leg relax. Switching it around every minute or two he was able to reduce the burn in his muscles. While he rested and waited, he took stock of his situation.

The space between the two rock faces was roughly three feet and he had about another ten feet to go before reaching the top. Kopius very much wanted to look down at the seat he was standing in to see if it could be useful but that meant looking down. Looking down would be breaking a long standing tradition of not looking down.

"Spider walk, maybe?" He murmured.

Feeling his luck with the planks was at an all time low, Kopius changed tactics. The short distance left, his new position and the brief rest meant that the boards and spikes were not his only option anymore. Giving his limbs each a shake to 'get the lead out,' as his Papa would say, Kopius got to work.

Spider walks are simple in theory. First you would need two vertical, parallel surfaces like the two cave walls before Kopius. Second, the distance between the two surfaces has to be such that one could reach both without fully outstretched arms. From there it is a matter of leverage, strength, and stamina.

Let's hope we have enough stamina, he thought reluctantly.

Placing one hand firmly against the wall opposing the planks, Kopius found the right angle to support himself. Arms secure, he removed one foot from the small alcove and found solid purchase above a wooden plank. Testing the foot's hold for good measure one more time, he heaved his body up, releasing and then quickly slapping back his hands a bit higher than they were before.

"Holy shit that worked!" Kopius exhaled.

He brought his feet up with him and secured another foothold. Not waiting to skip a beat he slid up the cave mouth again and then once more, squirming and heaving the whole way.

The cave walls grew closer as he went up, making applying pressure with his hands easier. With three feet left to the surface he could smell fresh air with every breath and even see a light blue sky. In two more heaves Kopius's head crested the surface and he paused briefly to understand if he was going from the frying pan to the fire.

The quick look revealed a valley of sorts. Short grass to his right led off into some bushes before ending at another rock face. Dirt led off to his left, riddled with more bushes and other shrubbery. Kopius, with only his head above ground, looked about with the determination of a man destined to tell the world if Spring came early this year. Wherever the sun might be, it was past the high cliffs that looked to surround the gorge he was about to climb into.

Kopius moved his hands to secure holds against the edge of the pit and then swung both legs up and out, tumbling to the grassy side of the hole. Rolling several more times for good measure, he lay there taking in the space as though he had just been unwrapped from a straight jacket.

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