Erratus started up the ramp, following Cozun in silence. Everything he said just seemed to make the nomad more and more uneasy.

As both Erratus and Cozun proceeded up the ramp the pair had a few 'close calls' as small pieces of the ramp broke away tumbling down dozens of feet to the city beneath, but after a few minutes of uneasy walking the pair arrived at the top of the ramp and were greeted by the remains of the upper-level of the city...


Much of the platform built to hold the second level of the city had come apart creating a plethora of gaps, divisions, and crevasse all about. Because of this, parts of the second level of Gennenberg were prone to shifting causing houses to come crashing down upon their uneasy foundations leaving very few of the taller homes remaining, though numerous horizontally large houses and generally small houses remained fairly intact. The area that Gonye had lead his group to this time seemed to be far less quiet than the city streets they had been navigating earlier as well. From upon their high perch the group could easily hear the sounds of moaning and hollering, along with the sight of mass cremations and battle originating from the city beneath them. It was hard to determine from the sheer volume of sound if there was any kind of engagement occurring nearby but it was fairly clear from the charred remains of bones, wood, and stone that at some point, most likely not very long ago, husks were being burned en masse where Cozun and Erratus were now standing...

"Give me-self a heart attack walkin' those damn ramps..." Gonye groaned aloud as his group finally fully ascended the ramp and met up with his scouting party. Transferring his prisoner to one of his men Gonye strutted to the front of group and began scanning the upper-city skyline for a moment before turning to Erratus and Lucia.

"'bout time you two earned your keep." Gonye began as he pointed out a small spire not far in the distance. "That pointy-lookin thing out over those buildings in front of us is part of a large buildin' called the Dretholde Academy, there's some more to the name, somethin' about magic and scientific study and what not..." Gonye began to ruffle about his hair as he tried to remember the Academy's full name. "Never you mind that though-" he finally started once more as he turned his attention back to the spire. "That buildin' connects to the lower level of the city via a hollowed support column and inside the lower area is a whole bunch of stuff that the researchers and stiffs back in Ganaeg would die to have recovered, in fact, they already have died tryin' to recover 'em." With a quick turn of his heels and wave of his hand Gonye quickly began to jog towards the row of buildings that separated the group from the Academy, naturally his group followed him. "Ya see-" Gonye spoke in a low voice as he pounded his shoulder against the door of one of the houses that formed a barrier between their new objective and themselves. "Normal people can't really go lookin' 'bout the Academy anymore, apparently because it's conveniently connected to the bottom portion of the city it's been over run by husks and in quite a huge volume, so much so that even Ostarius' army probably hasn't made any headway in clearing out the buildin' but you aren't exactly normal people anymore." with a echoing crack Gonye's shoulder busted through the door, knocking it off its frame. Dusting off his shoulder he stepped inside the dilapidated house, found a boarded up window on the opposite side of the room, and grabbed for his sword. "If what I think is right, well, if what I have learned from researchers in the west is right, you two shouldn't be able to be infected, or further infected....by conventional means-" pulling out his sword Gonye began to swing at the boards that covered the window, easily breaking away the more than two decade old wood. "Sharing the same air space with husks for a prolonged period of time, coming into physical contact with husks, coming into contact with plagued creatures, et cetera, et cetera..." Gonye eventually sheathed his sword and kicked away the remaining planks as he took a deep breath and looked across the street towards the Academy...

The Academy was a large marble building that sat lonesome in the middle of a massive square surrounded on all the sides by buildings similar to the house that Gonye had just broken into. From their current position the only real features of the academy that could be made out was the stone wall the surrounded the building, the small spire poking out from the top, an old and rusty iron gate and a set of large columns supporting the building's roof.

"Inside that place there's one specific thing I'm looking for, we came all the way here to get it after all. In the lower levels of the building there's a large area researchers call 'the arcane vault'. The whole thing was apparently sealed off when the plague really started rearin' its head in this town but with a little help I was able to figure out that the vault used an extremely intricate lock system that needed be maintained every couple of years. Without maintenance the lock has more than likely fallen into pieces and will open to just about anythin'." Digging into a satchel on his side Gonye removed a, flat, circular object about the size of his hand that appeared to be engraved with a complicated array of markings. As Gonye unveiled the object Lucia immediately felt an odd pulse cross through her body, it felt almost as if someone had lit a fire inside her, then immediately doused it, though it appeared no one else in the room felt anything at all "If you slide this into the 'key hole' it should open up just fine." Gonye continued. "Once yer' in the vault you need to search for a silver crate, it should be about yea high" Gonye stretched out his arms about four or so feet. "Inside the crate there'll be a small black box, that's what you need to get, the box. So, quick recap here, get in the buildin', find the main stairway, go to the lowest level of the place, find the arcane vault and retrieve my box and avoid any contact with husks. Finding the staircase and avoidin' husks is the hard part, though the staircase should be near the center of the building. Once you get to the lowest level of academy there should be signs or somethin' to guide yins to the vault." Scratching his chin Gonye paused after his lengthy, yet unclear briefing. "Any questions? Concerns?"


OOC: Sorry about taking so long to post, Oktoberfest, a trip to Paris, and a lot of make up work has kept me busy. Also I'm booting Whim from the rp since he can't be bothered to post. I'll think of some way to write out his character

OOC: OMG You got to go to Oktoberfest?!

Lucia thought she would've been glad to get off the makeshift ramp, but her spirits weren't brightened any further by what she could see from the upper level of the building. It was a dreary scene, the area looked as though there had been a battle that took place fairly recently, and from what she saw and heard, she truly wouldn't have been surprised if there was. She sighed, internally mourning the loss of what must have been a beautiful city before being overrun by husks.

It was then that she and Khast were called over and Gonye explained to them the plan he had in regards to the Dretholde Academy. She was surprised to learn that she could no longer be as easily infected by husks, albeit her plight of her infection also alarmingly being brought back to her attention, though the prospect at entering an abandoned school dedicated to the research of magic was quite enticing. She had never had the opportunity to go to any sort of magical school and received no tutelage in magic aside from Gonye, this would be her first chance to get a glimpse of how it was done, probably in a manner her parents had, and her ancestors had learned magic from Leto himself.

As Gonye revealed the key they would need, Lucia felt a pulse of energy and an immediate smouldering within her being, though just as soon as it started it stopped. It was unusual, making her feel wary of the item he presented them, but at the same time she wanted to examine it further. Having completed presenting the mission, Gonye asked if they had any questions.

"Should we find any other sort of artifact on our quest, would it be alright if we kept it for ourselves?" she asked.

Erratus was surprised to hear that Lucia was interested in looting the place. Something Gonye said must have piqued her interest. Of course, she was going about it all wrong. He nudged her with his elbow, as if to say "Why'd you ask that?"
The merc had said nothing about other treasures, so he obviously wasn't interested in them. Now that she'd announced her intentions, though, he had a chance to deny the request.

OOC: I go every year

"I didn't take you for much of a looter!' Gonye exclaimed as he turned his attention away from the Academy and back to Lucia and Erratus, just missing Erratus' quick gesture.

"I don't suppose lootin' for yourselves is much of a problem t'all, as long as you can bring me my box in a timely manner..." Gonye quickly turned back towards the window and poked his head up to check the sky before pulling himself back in quickly. "Damn rain... with all these clouds about I can't even figure out what time it is.." in a quick movement Gonye quickly brushed a hand through his hair to wipe away the rain water that had almost instantly doused him as he was attempting to map the sun's position in the sky. "First thing's first, take this-" Gonye quickly pushed off the circular carving into Erratus' hands as he checked across the street once more for some desperate way to tell the time. "Take what ya' want from inside, just don't let it get in the way of mission and try and be quick... please..." Gonye reluctantly added as he stepped away from the window. "Just cross over through the window here and head for the gate to the school, it looks like the lower portion of the gate has been broken apart- probably those researchers from the west did it when they tried to get in... All yins need to do is crawl under the busted up corner of the gate and either try the front door or another window, real simple."

Lucia blushed and looked downwards mildly embarrased, she didn't intend to seem like a looter. "I just...was wondering if there was anything that could help me become more experienced with magic" she said in her usual quiet manner, "Aside from your quick tutorial, I have never received any true tutelage," she shrugged "Everything I presently know is through trial and error. Though, since you've given the ok, I will try my best to not let my search get in the way of the present task at hand"

Her eyes followed the pouch which held the key as it was given to Khast, she was curious about the energy it gave off, but she didn't think too much of it, concluding that it simply was the nature of the key. She listened intently as Gonye instructed them where they were to enter the ruin, and nodded, signifying that she understood. Looking at Khast, still mildly distrustful of the man, she braced herself mentally and physically before climbing through the window as dictated by Gonye.

Erratus sort of zoned out for a bit, missing a good portion of Gonye's explanation, and the next thing he knew he was having a circular carving shoved into his hands. He raised one of his eyebrows quizzically, wondering if there was any particular reason the merc would trust him with the thing over Lucia.
"Take what ya' want from inside,"
"Oh, I intend to." The thief interjected, though Gonye ignored the remark.
"Just don't let it get in the way of mission and try and be quick... please..." He concluded, then proceeded to explain how the pair would get in.
Though he had missed a bit of information, Khast... Erratus didn't bother asking for elaboration. The girl would have caught anything he missed. He did, however, have one last question for the mercenary before heading out.
"Ah, before we head out, I've been meaning to ask you something. Do you know anything about a Lady in the Stars?"

" 'Lady in the Stars'?" Gonye echoed as he scratched his chin. "You must mean The Lord of Stars... I know somethin' of her, but now really ain't the time." Gonye quickly grabbed at Erratus' back and began to force him towards the window. "We can talk more later, I'm anxious to know what you know-" Gonye uttered in a very contrived matter. "but we don't have much time here, we have t'get movin'."

____

As Lucia exited from the window and entered the square the sound of her feet landing against a slowly gathering puddle and the carved stone platform beneath her echoed about the large, enclosed area. Not far from where Lucia was now standing was the gate to Academy and from her current position it was much easier to see the small gap at the bottom of the gate that Gonye had referenced earlier. It appeared as though someone had broken away rusted bars from the bottom right corner of the gate and created a gap that a grown man could tightly squeeze through. Just beyond the gate was also a window that appeared to be smashed in, some glass still remaining in the corners of the panel. Even though it appeared as though Erratus and Lucia's entrance to the building seemed fairly straight forward it was still incredibly hard to see past the gate meaning it was almost impossible to determine what might be waiting on the other side of the wall.

"Well," Erratus said without a moment's hesitation. "Time's a-wastin'. The quicker we get this done, the longer we'll have to loot the place."
With little regard for what was on the other side, the thief ran up to the gate and slipped through the opening with practiced finesse. Such intrusions were common, almost routine, for him.

Lucia was paralyzed momentarily as the echo of her feet splashing in the puddle, waiting for some sort of foe to come out of hiding and ambush her. Khast on the other hand was quick to run to the gate and slipped through the opening with a certain air of expertise. Not wanting to be left behind, Lucia quickly followed, scrambling through the gate and caught up to Khast. The hood of her red cloak hung low over her face as she pulled it around herself for warmth and assurance, and she quickly scanned the area to determine whether they had any immediate threats

Traversing the square and quickly slipping through the gate, Lucia and Erratus both seemed to waste very little time in this endeavor, though once they had entered the court yard of the Academy things immediately became more complicated. The enclosed yard seemed to expand a perfect 60 meters in all directions from the rectangular, marble laden academy. On top of this most of the yard was covered in downed trees, tall grass, overgrown weeds, and peculiar plant life, even the paved path to the front door of the academy had been devoured by the false ground that had been planted about. To makes matters worse a few stray moans could be heard from within the court yard and in plain sight a husk laid splayed out against the furthest right wall with its head aimed away from the gate and to the ground. Even though the area they needed to cover to approach the building wasn't exactly huge it was still a finely veiled area where almost anything could be lurking out of sight...

The Academy itself was a large building, mostly made of marble, and was covered in columns and supports. The building spanned two floors upwards and at its peak a large, curling spire protruded from the very center of the structure like a grand horn or an embellished hat. The front door of the academy laid behind and between two large columns that held up an overhung roof which in turn shadow numerous windows which covered the front end of the building, many of which had been shutterd or boarded over, save one on the far right side of the building that had been broken out. From where Erratus and Lucia stood now the window appeared to be the only 'silent' way into the academy, but it seemed to also be a fairly dangerous way as well as it required the pair to move across the entire yard and towards a plainly visible husk.

Erratus was delighted to find what lay behind the gate. Strewn with fallen trees and rubble, the yard was a veritable playground for someone of his profession. It did not occur to him what dangers may have been laying in wait on the unkempt lawn. Instead, he was immediately drawn to the few husks scattered around the grounds. As long he and Lucia kept low and were quiet, though, they wouldn't be a problem. Well, all but one, which was lingering near the only practical entrance to the looming school, a window on the far side of the building. The thief pointed to it.
"If we don't want to make a rumpus, that window's our best bet." He said, addressing Lucia without so much as checking to see if she was still behind him.
"But that infected is going to present a problem. What we need is a way to lure him away from that window, something that'll make a bit of noise." At this point, he may as well have been talking to himself. "Not too much, though, or we'll attract unwanted attention. Perhaps I could climb up on the wall and distract him? No, too risky. I could throw a rock, but that probably wouldn't do much..."

Lucia nodded in agreement with what Khast had said; the most viable entrance was most certainly the window where the husk remained. It would have to be something interesting enough to stir interest in the creature, though nothing loud enough to alert the rest of the husks of their present location.

"Perhaps I could use some magic" she suggested passively "I can use one of the threads from my cloak to conjure a fireball to catch the husk's attention and then lead it away from our location and give us an open path to the window." she shrugged "I'm not entirely sure it will work, but what else do we have besides luring it away with one of us acting as bait?"

The thief chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose that would be our best be- Wait a minute, what's all this about magic then?"
Erratus paused for a moment, wondering how he could have not known that by now. Oh well.
"Ah. I was wondering why those guards back at the tower had charred armor. I suppose that's why you're so intent on looting this place, then? Well, I have no objections. Fire away!" The nomad said enthusiastically, excited to see real magic firsthand.

"Ah, yes, alright then" she said feeling a bit more confident with Khast trusting her opinion. Tugging on a stray strand of red thread from her cloak, Lucia continued pulling until she felt she had a good enough amount and ripped it from the seam causing it to snap. Coiling it into a spiral on the palm of her hand, she could feel the warmth of the dormant fire stored within. She twisted the end of the string and as the string unwound it shifted into a ball of fire. Quickly before the light drew attention to themselves, she willed the ball of fire to fly away from them immediately and towards the husk. Rather than having it hit the creature she caused the fireball to whirl around the husk attempting to grab its attention and have it follow the ball of fire away from the window.