Erratus didn't much care for the position in which he had been placed. Somehow, the three of them needed to get to the gate with a nauseous Lucia and a considerably heavy box in tow. He was sick of perpetually being in harm's way, sick of lugging around this stupid crate, sick of the entire damn mission.

The thief struck out, kicking the box off of the roof, then leapt after it, bypassing the ladder entirely. Then, completely ignoring the container, he made a bee-line for the gate, letting out a yell that would raise the dead the entire way. Once he was out of the confines of the school grounds, he ran off in the direction opposite the way he and Lucia had come. It looked for all the world as if the man had simply gone mad.

She was successful, yet she had overdone it. Lucia was dizzy and she stumbled as she quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her arm. She had to get to the gate before the winds died down. As expected, Khast had long left the roof, she wasn't surprised. She made her way to the ladder, and tipped it carefully so that it reached the ground. Her stomach lurched, and she had to stop for a second, though she forced herself to continue. Not even bothering to see what had become of their crazy companion, she merely grated "Come" though her voice was quite raw. Even though he had attempted to attack her earlier, no one deserved the fate of being a husk. It was definitely a fate worse than death.

Next thing she knew, she had climbed down the ladder, not entirely sure how those few seconds of time had slipped her by, she scrambled to the gate they had crawled through in what seemed like months ago. The swirling winds rolled magically beside her, though somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew that the magical feat she had just accomplished would soon be done, and she would be helpless.

Finally, she had reached the gate, again not entirely sure what had happened to her sense of time. It was as if she had momentarily blacked out. She crawled through the small opening. She was so close. There, she could see the window that Gonye had sent them through only moments before. It was there he would be waiting for them, and their infernal quest would come to an end. She was so close, but then she blacked out once more.

Kechts stashed away his cane into his cloak and gratefully accepted the sword from Kariya, but pocketed the precious resin.
"Such a valuable armament      not be wasted      these goons." He looked at the resin, but somewhat distantly. "It would almost      an insult to      men who forged this," he explained.

Doubting the old man's advice, Kechts raised the sword with one hand and quickly learned why Kariya trusted the blade with handling the powerful magic of the resins. It was very dense, and heavy as a result, deceivingly so. As his arm began to give in, he quickly grabbed the sword's handle with his other hand.
Kechts could judge Kariya's immense strength, the old man could thrust the sword at such blinding speed. Forget the fire resin he had applied, the weight of the weapon itself would have crushed or bored straight through him.

In the moment that Kechts had gained a new-found respect for Kariya, he admired the bastard sword. There was an elegance to its simplicity and power, its sheer durability handling all sorts of resins in its years.

Gathering his might, Kechts gave a great horizontal test-swing. The whole place resounded with the sound of the swing, as if he cleaved a wall of air. Kechts was quite frightening enough by himself, but he now also had a comparable weapon. The guards would soon discover the source of the roar that brought them there.

Gonye urgently leapt forth from the window and, with an incredible amount of haste, brought himself to the side of Lucia's collapsed body. Eventually another mercenary appeared from the window as well, and he too sprinted to Lucia's side, though he kept his distance as he watched his captain inspect the girl's body for wounds. After some time of inspection and waiting, Gonye lifted Lucia from the ground and handed her off to his subordinate who quickly turned back towards the building and carried her off and back through the window...


Once inside the building the mercenary carefully placed Lucia against a fairly sturdy wall towards the center of the house. He allowed her body to sit upright whilst he dug through the many pockets of his tunic and, after sometime of searching, he produced a white handkerchief from one of his back pockets. Sheepishly, the mercenary began to rub the delicate handkerchief across Lucia's face to clear away and dry the water which had collected on her when she fell into the freshly drenched square. Once he had successfully completed the task of drying her face the mercenary removed an overcoat from his backpack and placed it around Lucia's body like a blanket before he moved himself to the opposite end of the room and sat himself down against another wall. From there he simply watched the girl and uttered sharp words and curses under his breath. From time to time he would bring himself from his wall and lay the back of his hand upon Lucia's forehead to check for if she had started to a run fever, but besides that he tried to keep himself at a comfortable distance.


_______


Gonye watched carefully as the wreck-of-a-man who had joined Lucia and Erratus in the academy came tumbling through the small hole in the gate with the very important treasure-crate in his hands. Gonye approached the man and shared a quick set of words with him before he pushed him off towards the house the mercenaries were using as a holdup. The crazed man idiotically and somewhat pathetically hopped and ran about towards the window before he eventually fell through the frame. With that taken care of, Gonye turned his attention towards the mass of husks who were gathering at the gate. There were thousands of them and as each moment passed the gate continued to bend and screech horrifically until finally the opening gave way and collapsed forwards. The husks came rushing forth, though instead of going directly towards Gonye the majority of the group turned and swarmed towards where Erratus had ran off to. Wasting no further time Gonye pulled forth a scarf like cloth from his belt and wrapped it about his neck, mouth and nose. It was a makeshift breathing mask but it would have to do for the moment as Gonye began running in the same direction as the husks. He made certain to keep his distance from the creatures as they turned out of the square, he wanted to avoid fighting the monsters if at all possible. What he truly wanted was for them to lead him to Erratus.


_______


Two of the fastest guardsmen broke from their slower brethren and immediately zeroed in on Kechts. The two men were both using two handed swords and both men were suited in leather and mail, though one of the now rushing guards seemed to a have small wooden buckler attached to his forearm which allowed him to block and swing at the same time. What their weapons were and what their armour was made out of should have been the last of Kechts' concerns though, the men had already come within striking distance of Kechts while he had been testing out Kariya's sword. In unison both men let out roaring shouts, separated to Kechts sides and swung their weapons across their bodies towards his body in horizontal fashions. Their maneuver was fairly typical but safe, their swords would act as pincers on Kechts' body and if they missed neither man would strike the other with their sword. This also meant the pair could immediately and quite efficiently disengage or reengage on their target, but in the world of swordplay this maneuver was also predictable and with Kechts being so close to both Nero and Quentyn, support could and would arrive almost instantly after the first strike. The pair would HAVE to disengage if they were unable to wound or kill Kechts.

Both Quentyn, and to a lesser extent the still slightly discombobulated Nero were prepared to support Kechts. In fact, had Quentyn not been overly fixated on Kariya's sword and the resin that had been pocketed just moments ago he would have likely been at Kechts side with his sword drawn. Sadly his mind was quite elsewhere at the time, possibly in a place where the mind could dream up ways to steal things from wounded and slightly dead comrades.

When Erratus could think clearly again, he found himself in the midst of a horde of husks. He braced himself to fend off an attack, but it quickly became apparent that they weren't interested in him. The creatures moved together as one large mass, seemingly headed in the same direction. Though he knew he was in imminent danger, all Erratus could think about was where the husks were headed. Bested by his curiosity, he let himself be swept away, as if by an overpowering current. After hours, though to the nomad it felt like seconds, their objective finally came into view. On a pedestal stood a lone figure, surrounded by husks as far as the eye could see. However, it was completely shrouded in shadow. From where he stood, Erratus could make out only a silhouette. He had to get closer. He began to force his way through the crowd, getting as near to the structure as possible. Still, he could not see the figure clearly. His need to satisfy his curiosity pressed him ever onward, and he began to climb the pedestal.

With a start, Erratus was jerked back to reality. He found himself dangling precariously from a crumbling pillar, a large group of husks nipping at his heels. He hurriedly made his way up support and perched himself at the top. Below him, the dead had positioned themselves around the pillar and were now trying to topple it. In the distance, the thief could see the academy he had been only seconds ago. How he had gotten here, he hadn't the foggiest idea. However, what mattered now was trying to get down, and if he didn't think of a way to do that soon, the husks would do it for him. After weighing his options, which seemed rather few, Erratus pulled a resin out of his pocket. He examined it closely, but managed to determine little more than its color, which was violet. With a shrug, he cast the crystal into the tumult below.

The violet resin violently shattered against the ground upon contact. Hundreds of crystalline shards scattered and bounded about leaving behind them trails of sooty, thick black smoke. The smoke quickly began to spread in all directions and, within no time at all, it consumed and finely concealed a large portion of the attacking horde. Just as the smoke was beginning to settle and its expanse halted, a gust of wind tore through the square and with it came the return of the torrential rain which had been plaguing the whole operation. Within seconds the black cloud was cleared from the square, and the damage that had been dealt by the resin became 'misleadingly apparent'. Hundreds of husks had fallen to the ground and their bodies were covered, almost completely in the 'soot. They appeared lifeless, dead, this was of course not the case. Their bodies were only momentarily disable, the creatures would soon rise again as if willed by some immense, other worldly power and they would quickly return to laying siege to Erratus' pillar.


"You idiot!" A voice called forth from somewhere nearby in the square, though with all the rain it was nigh impossible to actually hear the voice. "I HAVE A ROPE!" the voice called out once more, though this time it was much clearer, much louder. It was coming from the second storey of a not too distant building that was directly behind Erratus.

"I have the rope tied t'the frame of the window! If ya' can tie another end around the support you can pull yerself 'cross!" It was of course Gonye who was barking commands at Erratus whilst at the same time preparing to toss a rope. He made certain that the thief was watching him before he chucked the knotted rope towards Erratus' position, though just as he was doing so an incredibly bright flash of lightning cut across the sky followed by an awesomely loud clap of thunder.

Lucia's eyes fluttered as she begun to stir. Just as the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed above, her eyes snapped open. She looked down and found herself wrapped in an overcoat, though she definitely still felt a bit damp, having collapsed in the courtyard earlier. She wasn't sure how she had gotten inside the room, but for a moment she was relieved to be out of the accursed academy. That is, until she suddenly felt a great sense of emptiness deep within herself. She panicked; throwing off the overcoat, she rummaged through her bag, thinking she had forgotten something. She then realized that what was missing was much greater than any belonging. It was the spark, that subconscious connection she had to the magic that welled within herself. She couldn't feel it. The short burst of frantic movement and the devastating realization quickly exhausted the girl, and she slouched back against the wall in defeat. It was then that she noticed that she wasn't alone in the room.

"Wh-Where's Gonye?" she croaked, her voice even fainter than it usually was.

*edited because I forgot to copy paste something*

"He's outside dealing with a small issue. He'll be back soon." The mercenary's voice carried an incredibly dull tone and it didn't help that he seemed detached and distant from just about everything around him. "How are you holding up?" As he spoke he rose from the ground and patted away the dust and dirt that had been transferred to the back of his trousers from the floor. After he had finished cleaning himself off he crossed from his side of the secluded room to Lucia's. Stopping less than an arm's length away from Lucia's face, he knelt down before her and placed the backside of his hand on her forehead. It appeared as though he was only asking her how she felt as a formality, he was more interested in finding out firsthand.

From this distance the mercenary's features were fairly clear. He appeared to be in his twenties and both his eyes and hair were a deep brown colour. His face was small and round and an old, large scar ran from one of his slightly pointed ears, the right ear, to the center of his chin.

"You have a slight fever still.." His hand slowly slipped away from Lucia's face but then disappeared behind his back almost instantly. "Drink up." His hand reemerged from behind his back and in it was a canteen that sloshed about with still cold water. He placed the canteen on Lucia's lap before he pulled himself away towards the exit of the room.

"You'll catch pneumonia if you stay wet for too long. You should get out of your clothes unless you have some other way to dry yourself out. I'll rummage up a change of clothes in the meantime."

The mercenary quietly slipped away through the exit and down a dark hallway that sat just on the other side of the wall he had been using as a resting spot. For the moment it seemed as if Lucia would be left to herself, but before long an interruption came about to spoil that idea. Without a word an arm reached about the corner of the door frame and dropped a neat stack of clothing for the girl. A short blue smock made of a light linen like material, a pair of wide legged gray cotton trousers, and a heavy black leather belt was what was 'rummaged together' and left for Lucia.

Erratus was positioning himself to catch the end of the rope when the lightning struck. The bright flash and loud thunderclap disoriented him momentarily, but not quite enough to cause him to miss. Once he had the rope in his hands, the thief deftly looped the rope around the top of the pillar and did his best to secure it considering his complete ignorance of how to tie a knot. He wasted no time worrying, however, and hastily began to make his way across the line. He had nearly made it to the other side when his slipshod tie gave way, sending him crashing into the wall of the building. Shaking off the impact, he scurried up the rope and climbed through the window.
"Hello." He said blankly after picking himself up off the ground.

"Hello to you too." Gonye growled as he grabbed Erratus by his shoulder and pulled him to his feet before he could finish the task of standing up himself. "Ya've gone and made a fine mess of things. Almost lost my box, almost got Lucia killed, puttin' me in harm's way. You're a real piece of work, y'know that?" Gonye seemed fairly upset with Erratus, though, considering the circumstances his anger was justified. "Now... I need ya to listen close, real close. So close that ya' couldn't possibly mess things up. Aye?" Gonye paused himself and grabbed at Erratus' shoulder. Without even warning the thief he violently dragged him towards the window, though he didn't appear to be doing so with any ill will, it was just the middle-aged mercenary's nature.

"The husks, ya see 'em?" It was a stupid question for Gonye to ask. How could anyone miss the thousands of husks who were clawing at the walls and beginning to mound atop one another just outside the window? "There's no windows or clear openins on the bottom floor, just a door on the the other side of the buldin'. I need ya' to make a break for the safe house. The door will let you back out into the general square, there might be a few stray husks about but I'm sure ya' can deal with it. I'll keep these things busy here and follow you up after I'm sure yer' safe. Just be sure to let the others know we need to get movin' as soon you arrive. Got all that?"

Lucia didn't reply, and drank the water thankfully. Her throat still felt raw, though she no longer felt the need to throw up. She was greatly concerned by the gaping void that she felt within herself. Surely she hadn't expended all the magic she had for the rest of her life? That wasn't how magic worked, or at least, that's what she had always thought.

As she watched the mercenary leave, she slowly got up with a groan. Every bone in her body seemed to emanate pain. She slowly looked over to where he had placed the clothes and she shuffled over to it. She wished she could of had a warm bath, and a soft bed to sleep in. After the ordeal she had been through, she could sleep for weeks on end. Lucia peeled the wet clothes from her body and let them fall to the ground at her feet. She shivered, standing bare, and quickly set to putting on the clothes that had been laid out for her. Having finished quite promptly, she sat on the ground with her legs crossed and began to braid her hair with her eyes closed; it was a soothing practice, and if she tried hard enough she could imagine she was anywhere but where she was presently.

Unbeknownst to her, a greater portion of her hair was now silver, as only her bangs had only seemed to be affected prior to her adventure, though now the crown of her head also glistened in the dim light, while the rest remained raven black.

The sound of rain drops dashing across the roof were the only audible noise Lucia could hear through the entirety of house. Alone and in darkness she was left to herself and the sound of rain, such a dreary and forlorn environment. Not so long ago this whole situation seemed impossible, in fact, it was absolutely unpredictable. The west now seemed so far away, so distant in both memory and actuality. Harengoth's majestic blue skies, the busy hustle of traders and merchants, sellers and buyers, the grand guild hall which towered above every structure in the city, it was all so far away... Lucia had been through so much already, but an immense and uncertain fate laid before her and with no end in sight her fatigue would only continue to build...

"I take it your proper and dressed now," The scarred mercenary's voice echoed down the hall and eventually poured into the room just before he himself entered and re-assumed his sitting position just opposite of Lucia. "You'll have to put up with me watching you for now. I was told your stability is in question and weakness could retake you at any given time." The mercenary lowered himself comfortably against the wall and began to shift about in the darkness of the room before settling himself down in silence. He remained absolutely silent in his lounged positioning, though every now and again he would lean forward as if he were trying to get a better look at Lucia through the darkness.

"By any chance, do you have any past experience or relation with the captain? Have you two met before? Talked to one another? Maybe lived in the same village or town?" The mercenary seemed perplexed for no real reason and his question seemed odd and indirect. Why all of a sudden would he bother asking Lucia any of this?

She opened her eyes with a start, having forgotten that she was not alone in the building. She didn't argue with the mercenary in that she needed to be watched. In fact, she wanted to be surrounded by people. She felt awfully vulnerable while being consciously aware that she had no magical ability. Despite Gonye's shady demeanour, she wished he was there. He was the sole person she knew who knew anything in detail about magic. Was it possible that her gate has been closed forever? Or perhaps she was entirely wrong about the entire experience all together?

She looked over to where she assumed the mercenary had taken his seat. It was fairly dark in the room, so his position was quite difficult for her to ascertain. She tilted her head to the side once the mercenary asked whether she had known Gonye prior to the present situation she found herself in. Such an odd question, for all she knew, they were all strangers before they found themselves brought together by convenience. Why would he ask such a question?

"I don't believe so," she said while pulling her legs close to her chest and resting her head on her knees, "I come from a very small village." Her voice grew very soft at the mention of her village. Her memory of her ancestral home was tinged with mixed emotions. It had been the place where she was raised by her parents, yet it was also the place where her parents were murdered in cold blood. It was a place where she made friends and learned to weave, yet those same friends turned her back on her when she learned to weave magic.

"That's hard to believe." The mercenary continued on in his usual tone. He was either completely oblivious to Lucia's woes, or he just didn't care. "Don't you find any of this beyond strange? Just think for a moment about who we are. Just what is a mercenary company doing out here anyway? Why are we getting involved in some political struggle none of us know anything about?" His tone had quickly shifted, and so had the conversation. Where was he going with all of this, and so suddenly?

The mercenary brought his voice to a low whisper as continued on, he was being extremely careful. In fact, before he even spoke again he quickly leaned himself towards the door to check if anyone was listening.

"I've been part of this company for 5 years now, and soon I'll be coming up on my 6th. That's a long time to be part of a single company, and yet there are men I serve with who have been with Gonye for at least 25 years. From the beginning I suspected there was something wrong with the Captain's company, but wrong doesn't even begin to describe. In the five years I've served the entire company has never been hired. At the most Gonye will hire out small units of newer men to eastern lords and foreigners, but as single group we never operate far from the river and we never get close to Sol Erra. We're a mercenary company that does little but clean up scraps left behind by ducal wars and raid. Beyond all of that, all of our commanders and most of our officers are middle-aged men who have no background, no family, no loved ones. They're all shadows and ghosts, each and every single one of them, and that's not even mentioning Pitt. And to top things all off, this trip to a god-forsaken war torn city to kidnap the daughter of a divine being so that we bargain with a mythological figure to 'cure you'." He paused his current train of thought to take in a deep breath and let out a sigh of restlessness. "And then there's you in particular." He began once more, coldly. "He acts odd around you, he treats you differently. He's been on edge since you left for the academy and he was shaking when he peeled you off the ground in the square." The mercenary's words trailed off and his body sunk back against the wall, the shadow that one could only assume was his head slowly dropped against his chest. "I don't know what's going anymore, but this has gone on too long..."

Lucia could do nothing but listen to the mercenary's comments. While it was true that Gonye's mercenary company acted quite odd according to what this man said, but who was she to judge? She knew nothing of the lives of mercenaries. She herself hadn't noticed that he had acted peculiar around her, but if what the mercenary said was true, it was definitely interesting, though not enough to stir her to action. She did not and was not going to poke her head into mysteries. Her curiosity was the entire reason why she was even in her current predicament. If he wanted to help her; and even then, it wasn't like she was the only one who was infected; then she would accept his help with open arms, a gracious heart, and without a word of question.

"You'll have to take my word for it" she said with a slight shrug "I do not know why Gonye acts the way he does, but I can assure you I do not know him anymore than you do. He's a mysterious man, but I am glad that he is helping us to find a cure. Who knows, perhaps on the way we could find a way to solve this husk epidemic entirely."