Erratus sighed, conceding. It seemed as if obtaining the mask would be impossible at this point. He snatched the key from the man's hand and started toward the personnel check room, beckoning the other two to follow with a wave of his hand. Once they arrived, he immediately went for the lock. He slid the key into the small cavity and turned, wondering what, if anything, would happen.

It was some time before the door gave any kind of feedback, the key simply sat turned in the lock as Erratus watched and waited for something to happen, which eventually something did happen. The key slowly turned back towards its original insertion position and the door popped backwards slightly before it clunkily slid away to the side allowing each member of the party to enter. Inside the closed in space there appeared to be two levers placed on opposite sides of the space, just far enough that one person couldn't pull both levers at the same time.


Immediately as the door slid up the gnarled man jumped ahead of Erratus and secure his position inside. Pointing up he meant to point out a chain that ran from the top of the gated box into a long dark shaft that previously was hidden by the box's size.

"I tried to climb!" he reiterated. "The roof goes up and I tried to climb the chain, but... I .. I fell a lot..." he sulked for a moment before clasping his hands together. "But you can work it and take me up!'

Lucia watched as the key turned in place and the door slid open. What a strange device. She stepped to the side as the crazed man ran into the room pointing upwards to a chain that he had attempted to climb. Cautiously, Lucia stepped into the room and peered upwards at what the man was talking about. She could not see the exit, so she did not doubt his story, it was a long climb. Looking at the two levers on either side of the room, she looked at Khast as if he would know what this contraption could do.

((I love how the answer to this is so obvious, yet we have to pretend we know bugger-all about it. Although I do get a feeling it may not be as straightforward as it seems.))

Khast could feel four eyes resting on him. He had claimed to know what this thing did, so now he was saddled with the responsibility of making it work. If what this man said was true, and this really was a "flying floor", then it could conceivably get the trio out of this vault. Naturally, he was drawn to the two most prominent features in this strange box, the levers. Perhaps they operated the thing. He pulled on each of them in turn, then faced the others and shrugged. Fresh out of ideas.

"Perhaps both of them together?"suggested Lucia while standing by one of the levers, while waiting for his response.

What a stupid idea. Erratus mused. What reason could someone possibly have to design something that couldn't operated by one person? Preposterous. Still, he didn't have any better ideas.
"Alright... Now." He warned briefly before tugging on the lever again. Lucia did the same.

((Bam, savin' time.))

Nadya quickly jumped to the head of the group and inspected the area that Kechts had lead them too. It was only natural that she was worried about her 'kin', but to Nero it appeared as though she might have been taking this whole kidnapping thing as some kind of personal attack. Perhaps it was something only an Aitotian could understand?

For a moment Nadya stood silent just eying each of the buildings that were scattered about the enclosure before she ferociously turned to Kechts and moved herself within arm's length of the gnarled man.
"And just what do you intend for us to do now? Are you even sure this is the correct place," she began as she took a second look at the buildings. "No windows, no openings, just closed doors. So what, shall we just bust in through the doors and get cut to pieces by whatever is waiting on the other side? What if she's not even here? What if we end up breaking into these building just to find out we've come to the wrong place!?" The gypsy was obviously stressed over the whole ordeal and it was clear to everyone that she was simply using Kechts to vent her anger.

"Just... try and calm down for a moment." Nero hastily intervened. He needed to try and diffuse the situation, there was no telling how Kechts might react to Nadya's fury and if things spun too far out of control between the two of them, Kechts might completely pull out of the arrangement he made with Quentyn. "I'm certain that Kechts is giving us all the information he has available, he's not keeping us in the dark about anything and I'm sure it's safe to say he isn't try to lure us into any traps." Nero wasn't entirely confident saying these things about someone he just met but to him Kechts intentions seemed straight forward enough; money, and at the moment his way of making it was none other than Talaitha. But then the idea crossed his mind that perhaps this whole thing could have been a plot to bring a few more clumsy outsiders into the the clutches of the slave trading market which operated underground and away from the public eye in the west.

Nero tried to shake the feeling that Kechts might be some double agent leading them into a trap, but a conscious rumble deep in his stomach wouldn't allow him to dismiss any possibility. His eyes drifted nervously away from Nadya and Kechts, towards the mercenaries at the back of the party. He was looking for reassurance in his claim, anything that would settle the feeling that he might be wrong about their new 'companion', but instead of assurance he found a look of fear and urgency on the face of the middle-aged mercenary, Andreu.

Andreu's expression both shocked and confused Nero. Was it something he said? Perhaps behind him Kechts was bubbling over with anger? The possibilities seemed endless, that is until he noticed Andreu's eyes were firmly fixed on the sky. Turning himself around, time seemingly came to a sudden stand still as he directed his eyes into the sky as well. Just above them, no more than four meters in the air was a figure shadowed by the sky with a two handed sword held firm over his head.

I'm about to die

Nero was nowhere near fast enough to respond to this attack, nor was he in any position to do so. The man was falling at an incredible speed and yet everything seemed to be moving so slow. Nero wanted to run, he wanted to throw his body to the side and avoid being cleaved violently in two but his body felt sluggish and unresponsive. His mind was racing and had already dreamed up thousands of ways to avoid this attack, but his body was too slow, he just wasn't fast enough.

"Get away from there!" a voice called out, then the sound and feeling of moving earth, and then... a clang. Earthen stone against steel. It didn't register immediately, but somehow he was still alive. Nero turned his attention immediately towards the voice- it was Andreu. The mercenary was down on one knee with his palms flat against the ground.

"Didn't you hear me? Get away from the wall!" Andreu called out once more.


"....'wall'?" Nero repeated uneasily as he turned his attention towards a semi-dome-like wall which seemed to have appeared out of thin air around Kechts, Nadya, and himself. What exactly was going on? Did the old mercenary create this wall in the narrow street way to protect them? And just what exactly was he protecting them from?

C L A N G

There it was again, a familiar sound, steel against stone. Was their attacker on the other side of this wall just bashing away at the stone?


CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

Again and again the sound came, and before long the insides of the wall began to show fatigue in the form of cracks and chips. Alarmed that a human being could be successfully bashing away at solid rock with a sword, Nero scurried away from the wall towards Andreu.

______

A loud and somewhat ominous creaking noise escaped from high above in the shaft upon both levers being pulled simultaneously. Eventually the chain, which was hooked to the top of the enclosure, tensed up and was pulled taut by some unknown force and for a moment the floor began to lift before it came to a sudden stop just about a meter off the ground. The sliding gates closed shut as the platform stayed hanging just barely off the ground for some time until the sound of moving chains began to fill the air. Once more the enclosure uneasily lurched upwards, but unlike before it continued to rise until it was completely consumed by the darkness of the snug fitting shaft. Slowly but surely they continued to rise and rise. The trio could feel speed of their ascent increasing with each passing moment, but due to the darkness it was entirely impossible to tell just how fast they were actually moving. The whole experience was staggering to say the least and to someone who had never experienced the technology that was behind this device it must have also been frightening.

Eventually though the lift began to slow down and the sound of rumbling chains was squelched almost instantly and completely. Bumping to a stop in what could have been the middle of nowhere, the sliding doors bucked forward and locked into the wall before they gradually parted ways whilst at the same time prying open a door in the shaft. After Lucia, Erratus, and their new off-putting companion stepped off of the lift and into the room it had intended to eject them into, the wall behind them closed and the sound of rattling chains once more sounded.

The trio found themselves now in a small room with a single window and a single exit which appeared to lead down stairs. If one were to look out the window they'd take immediate notice that they were now quite high in the air relative to where they had first entered the Academy. From the looks of things the group had ended up in the highest spire which stuck directly out from the center of the Academy. From the window it was entirely possible to drop four or five meters onto the roof of the building and from there drop another six or seven into the academy's lawn where they had originally entered, but there was no telling how sturdy the roof was and the whole thing seemed a tad risky. The alternative though was to walk down stairs that more than likely lead to the husk infected center of the building and try once more to sneak past the creatures.


"Thank you!" Lucia's once would-be attacker yelped as he embarrassingly fell to the floor at Erratus' feet. "You d-didn't lie! You knew! You knew! The floor you knew!" he cried out as he clutched at the thief's legs.

Kechts remained unfazed as he listened to the man chipping away the stone wall. It was clear from the beginning that the berserk man was aiming for him.

"I may have attracted him    that explosion." He evaluated who the man was.
"However,    Prince of Silk wouldn't hire such    ferocious mercenary. The only    I can think of who    have such a vendetta against me - in these parts -    a Mageslayer. Most of    have passed away or have    forgotten, but this one seems   have grown particularly bloodthirsty    of the lack of magic users."

Kechts then turned to Andreu.
"Now that    knows that there is also   stone mage among us, I fear    has even more reason    try to kill us."

"The woman    are seeking is definitely    one of these buildings. I will be able    tell which one it is, but    must take care of    man first, for he    likely lost his sense of reason." Kechts began instructing the group.
"Mageslayers    powerful men, but this one    become aged and reckless. Keep your distance    pin him down when he    focused on me."

As the wall started to fall apart, some semblance of a smile cracked across Kechts' face.
"He might have even kept a bounty from that era," he mumbled.

Erratus let out a laugh as the man began to grovel at his feet. It would have been obvious to anyone who was watching the scene, in this case Lucia, that the praise was going to his head.
"Of course I knew!" He said, despite the fact that they'd all still be trapped in the vault if it weren't for the girl.
"How exciting! It really is a flying floor." The thief chuckled. Then it dawned on him. There was a sword at his waist, a lantern in his hand, and a small stash of resins in his pocket. And nothing else. He turned to Lucia.
"You grabbed the box, right?"

((Bam, wasting time.))

"Terramancer-" a cough escaped from Andreu's keeled over body, the mercenary seemed completely exhausted from his stunt. "It's Terramancery... and I'm no mage." Andreu's body uneasily fell backwards, thankfully Quentyn had moved in and caught his elder before his body had hit the ground.

"Whatever it is you intend to do, do it!" Quentyn barked out as he attempted to pick Andreu's semi-conscious body up from the ground. "Me and the gypsy will get the old man away from here-" Nadya picked up on Quentyn's cue and after a few staggering steps she rushed to Andreu's side and lifted his legs from the ground. "You deal with this until I get back... just.. don't get killed or anything. That goes for you too boy!" Quentyn gestured towards Nero before he and Nadya vanished down a convenient alleyway which could have possibly lead to Godknowswhereland.

One final, efficacious strike reverberated from Andreu's creation before it collapsed into a mess of rock and smoke. Nero cautiously stepped away from the wall, just behind Kechts, and drew his sword from his side. A MageSlayer, The Blades of the Church, the men who slew heretics, rogue magi and all manner of creatures listed in cryptic and hidden Bestiaries, Nero had heard numerous stories about these men when he served in the town guard in Drendle but he never imagined he would ever come face to face with one of these living breathing human weapons. Even if he technically was a relic of an age long since passed, Nero couldn't shake the feeling of dread and uncertainty which had been building up in his stomach since this whole ordeal had started just seconds ago. It was growing unbearable just peering into the smoke of the collapsed wall and seeing absolutely nothing but an amorphous blob but eventually the wind picked up and blew the smoke away, back towards Nero and Kechts' attacker.


Standing before the pair was a man dressed in an off-green tunic, a pair of loose fitting black trousers, odd looking black leather shoes enclosed by a wooden sandal, a long brown, long sleeved cloth overcoat, a black cloth belt, and a black eyepatch which covered his right eye. His face was long and his nose was slightly hooked. Numerous small wrinkles ran down the sides of his face and his head was lightly covered in brownish-grey hair. Attached firmly to his left side was a set of sheaths, one long and slightly curved, the other short and straight. Of the two swords, the curved long sword, was fully drawn and its long, red hilt was being gripped lazily in the man's right hand. The man seemed fairly old, perhaps in his late 50's, but he was also fairly tall, not quite as tall as Kechts but tall enough to appear physically imposing.


The three men stood about one another as a light rain trickled down from the skies, eventually turning into a steady downpour. The so-called MageSlayer's brown eye watched Nero and Kechts firmly and blankly for sometime before his left hand dug deep into the pocket of his overcoat. From his pocket he produced a red, gem-like object which, after a short moment of what appear to be deliberation, he struck against his blade. The gem shattered into pieces as it spilled its gooey red innards across the curved blade. Once the sword was completely covered the remains of the gem was tossed aside and the sword was struck against a nearby building. A flame, massive and brilliant, took hold of the sword as its master pulled it effortlessly away from the wall. Steam profusely emanate from the sword as the rain poured upon it and with each breath the man took the sword seemed to grow brighter and brighter. Suddenly, an unanticipatable attack was launched by the MageSlayer and his fiery sword. With exceptional- almost inconceivable speed, the old man closed the gap between himself and Kechts and was preparing to follow through with a stabbing motion that could easily penetrate directly through Kechts' twisted form.

OOC: WHYYYYYYY

Lucia looked up as the chain moved above them through whatever magic it was that powered the room they were in. Suddenly the room began to move, it was quite unnerving, and much to her displeasure the floor only went faster and faster. She clung to the lever for dear life, absolutely terrified. Eventually they reached their destination and the doors slid open, much to her relief. She was much too disoriented to care that Khast was taking the credit, not that she would've said anything regardless. However, when he asked whether she had the box she looked at him incredulously.

"You forgot the box!?" It was one of the few times that she had raised her voice above it's regular soft decibel. It was the whole reason they had come there, and he had found it, why did he expect her to have it. Let alone her trying to lift the thing, or even touch it, since it had a weird effect on her. As much as she hated the contraption, they couldn't leave without it.

"You'll have to bring the flying floor back" she said, her voice having returned to its gentle tone. He was the one who said he knew how the machine worked after all.

((Time for a mini adventure!))

Erratus let out a groan, realizing for the first time that the lift had returned to its position in the s****. Naturally, he would have to be the one to retrieve it. Lucia wasn't nimble enough to climb back down safely, and there was no way they would be able to coax their new friend back underground.
"Fine then." He spat. Holding the lantern in his teeth, the thief grabbed onto the chain and began his descent, mumbling angrily all the while. After a few minutes of clambering downward, Erratus reached the vault once again. He quickly made his way back to the main hall and located the box, still sitting on top of the smouldering pile of resins. After snatching up his prize, he shuffled back to the flying floor. It was at this juncture that he remembered it took two to operate it.
"Damn it!" He swore. He was getting more sick of this place with each passing moment, and now it seemed that he would be stuck down here until either his arms grew two feet longer or Lucia sent that other guy down to help. Neither seemed particularly likely, so the frustrated nomad just sat and smouldered for a while. After he had calmed down a bit, he came up with an idea. He just hoped the box's contents weren't particularly fragile, or Gonye would have a fit.
With all of his strength, he hoisted up the box and tossed it. The container flew a short ways through the air before bouncing off the wall and pushing down one of the lift's levers. At the same time, Erratus pulled the other one. To his surprised, the machine clanged to life for the second time that day and began to carry him upward. The experience was no less exciting than the first time. The thief had to wonder how it worked, even if the answer was far beyond his comprehension. Before long, he was back in the room where Lucia and her new best buddy were waiting. He stepped off the lift, this time with the box in tow.
"Alright, can we go now?"

OOC: The other side of the story is looking so interesting! Keep going!

Lucia nodded, mildly curious as to how he had managed to make the machine work, but it didn't trouble herself enough to make it worth asking.

"The jump out the window looks much too dangerous, especially considering what we have to bring back with us," observed Lucia while peering out the window, "We'll have to sneak by the husks, perhaps, Erus willing, with a bit more success," she sighed, turning to the crazy man, he had been useless so far, but it never hurt to try.

"Do you remember the ways out from the academy? Or perhaps the various ways you could have entered?"

As the old Mageslayer ignited his sword, Kechts quickly warned Nero.
"Be careful, young man, he is using    fire resin, a rare material    engulfs a blade in flames. They don't last long, but    suspect he has many more."

Wheezing another breath, he continued.
"It is magical; being hit    result in fatal burns. The rain    help extinguish it faster, so    avoid him until    has to reapply-"

Kechts was interrupted by the insanely fast advance of the Mageslayer. While he was anticipating an attack, he didn't expect their distance to be closed so easily. The only movement he could manage was a sidestep, enough to avoid the stab the Mageslayer was priming.

Not wanting to give the enemy time to react, Kechts withdrew his right hand into his cloak and retrieved a huge walking cane. He noticed the Mageslayer still had his parrying dagger sheathed. It was evident, from the old man's incredible lunge, that he also had incredible dexterity. Kechts couldn't take the risk of attacking him directly. Instead, he immediately struck the ground between them with a powerful swing. However, the resulting sound wasn't an expected 'thwack'. It was more like a cannon was being fired from the cane. The ground shook from the invisible, deafening blast. It was no bother to Kechts, but he hoped it would be enough to disorient his foe.
Kechts realized he wouldn't be able to face the old man forever, he needed to depend on Nero and bet on Quentyn and Nadya to not have abandoned him.

"Way... way out?" The man stammered, perhaps something was functioning in his twisted head after all. "A large room... stairs... stairs... up..ladder- a ladder!" in an instant the man tossed his body towards the window and, in an extremely reckless manner, he hung his body far out from the window's ledge. "We're on the wrong side!" it wasn't quite clear what he was getting at but the man seemed to be on to something. Quickly he pulled his body back through the window and pointed to the open shaft which was now slowly being sealed up by an extremely slow moving wall. "Master brought a ladder with us! the back side of the building- he hung it there! We were here! But there was a wall there, so... we.. we broke a window... on the top floor and went through it then down! I think... but we walked across and around the roof!"


____

Kechts every word entered one ear and immediately exited the other. Nero's mind had gone blank, yet he was still aware of what was going on. He had switched into a battle mindset and his fight-or-flight instincts were beginning to take over. Adrenaline was coursing quickly through his body causing both his heart rate and blood pressure to sky rocket. His hands clasped tightly to the hilt of his sword whilst his legs bent forward, ready to absorb the shock of an incoming blow. But just as Nero's body had settled into this battle-stance like position and mindset, the Mageslayer launched his attack, an attack which was far too fast for any appropriate reaction. With as much haste as he could possibly muster Nero pivoted towards Kechts hoping to swing his sword into the Mageslayer mid attack, unfortunately the man had already recovered from his wild thrust and so any attempt to strike would either be blocked, parried, or completely avoided. But just as Nero prepared to void his swing and motion back into a new, more thought out attack, an amazingly loud, almost ear shattering noise sounded from out of nowhere. The sound took Nero by surprise and left him completely clueless, so much so that he pushed himself away from the origin of the sound on instinct and into a nearby wall.


The sound didn't appear to have quite the same effect on the Mageslayer who, as sharp as always, took immediate note of Nero's misstep and consequential opening. Staying in his lunge like position the attacker simply turned his body towards Nero and launched himself forward again with another lunge, though this time around the attack seemed slightly slower, possibly due to not having as much room to build up his speed.


Unable to adequately reaffirm his footing Nero was left with but a single option when faced with this attack, dive. Haphazardly he tossed himself to the side just in time to avoid being skewered by the blade and as the tip of the sword struck the wall where Nero once stood, a large cloud of fire ruptured in all directions, save the direction of the Mageslayer who seemed protected from the fire by his own sword. Thankfully Nero had tossed himself far enough from the attack, and low enough to the ground that the blaze just narrowly missed him. Still, he wasn't quite safe yet... From his position on the ground he was completely open and vulnerable to a follow up attack. His life was now completely in Kechts' hands, what the man did next would decide whether or not Nero would live or die. The very thought of this chilled Nero to the bone, it was a stupid move putting his complete faith in a stranger, but it was his only move.