[Flashback] What Would You Do For Knowledge? [Hadrian]

[Hatter]

Up and over. Hadrian came down on the other end to find himself on a ledge. There was no drop. Easy enough. When he got to his feet Hadrian could see most of the ledge was destroyed, leaving only a small area of which to stand. Below was six story drop, followed by a steep decline toward the sea. Oh. A quick observation would reveal a staircase near the left side of the wall, one that spiraled down to the bottom at a fair pace. That must have been the easier path. Beside Hadrian there was another glyph, one that appeared to be permanently marked on the sea-side of the wall. It was simple directions, those that simply read: "Down". Looking over the edge a flickering light could be seen from a few stories below, one only reachable by climbing down the sheer drop. There was no architecture, no ladders, not even a rope. Just a cliff with jutting stones and a slick grasp. Shadowrunner meant business. Meanwhile, Zan and Zel had stopped bickering. In their attempt to find their long-gone companion the two approached the wall having heard some scuffling and came to a stop below, the both of them seeming unsure as to the intention of their riddle solving companion. "Soooo," Zelina started, her voice low and drawn out. "What do you see up there, do you need help?"

[Hadrian]

Hadrian surveyed the scene, and had already made his decision when he heard Zelina call him. He sighed and called back up. "It's a ledge. There's a glyph that says down, but it's not one drawn in cantrip light. It's permanent. There's a staircase... Well, I'm going down. Come if you want." He figured they would manage the climb faster than he did, so he had little time to spare. It would feel good to have Zan know forever that Hadrian had beat him. The six foot drop would be a challenge compared to the eight foot climb up the sheer face for the wall, but it looked like it had more hand- and footholds. It would be just his luck to turn an ankle or something this close to winning. Or fall and die. At least, he hoped he was close. He didn't want to go swimming out into the ocean and dive for hidden vaults, though he supposed he would if he had to. Gritting his teeth, he began to climb down six stories. In the moonlight. What the hell was he thinking? When he got to thinking again, he paused in his descent to concentrate on his eyes, blinking a couple of times to engage his auristic vision again. Though no master, it would help him see where he was going in the growing gloom. As chance would have it, his climb did not end in tragedy, thanks to seeing weaknesses and flaws in certain handholds which might have led to a fatal fall. Finally, he let himself drop the last couple of feet, landing in a crouch and looking around. For Shadowrunner, for Zan and Zelina, or for another clue. All he knew was that there had better not be much farther to go. His body was weary from all the climbing and acrobatics, and his mind was starting to get fuzzy from all the auristics.

[Hatter]

Zelina and Zan scuffled about. In an effort to follow their companion, the latter gave the former a quick boost and she managed to scamper up the ledge with a bit of effort. Whereas the Reimancer might have been a little slower in the mind, his athletic ability was not in question. Similar to Hadrian, he run toward the wall and leaped upward, grabbed onto the ledge and pulled himself over without much to-do. Despite the way those two bickered they seemed to work well together. For they were also supporting Hadrian, at least Zelina was. Zan was too much of an ass to care. Although Hadrian did have a head start his lack-luster physique made the climb a harrowing process. His auristic vision made an easier job of it, enhancing a few hand holds for easy grasp, but climbing without experience was hard. Occasionally his foot would slip and the inbalance would shift the young man's weight, his handle coming free from the cliff and forcing him to find a new poise. What was worse Zan was quick to gain. As the other student made his way down made a habit of expelling a small gout of flame, burning the rock beneath and ridding it of the moisture. Smart. Zelina followed above him and although she seemed aware that Zan made an effort to glance up her dress, she was grateful for the lack of slick rock. It was unfortunate that Hadrian did not wait. With a scramble his foot missed one of the holds and he found there was nowhere to grab. Rock flew and the student plummeted toward the ground in a disenchanting manner, his clothing flying about in the drop in an almost comical flurry. When it seemed inevitable that his death would occur Hadrian felt something hit his side; a solid, firm impact that shifted his momentum mid-flight. With a hard crash Hadrian found himself on the ledge, collapsed into a heap of himself. He was still alive, surely, but bruised now and he would find his ankle to bit twisted. A fair price for life, perhaps. At least he was ahead. While Zelina seemed to be shouting to ask Hadrian of his condition, the student would find himself at the entrance of a long, ancient corridor, inner architecture lit with sparse torches. The flames flickered along the walls with long shadows, leading the way into a narrow branch of ruin passageways and collapsed ceilings. Walking along the path, Hadrian would eventually find himself in a large, dome room, that of which had three doors, one on the northern wall and the east and western respectively. The path he had come from acted as the south. Any attempt to open the doors, each an eight foot by four feet length and width - the material made of a reinforced wood and the frame of iron, would end in failure, for each was locked and secured on some way. On each door there were glyphs that flashed in succession, the message reading was such: Western Door: "Sometimes what we most desire requires sacrifice." Northern Door: What would you do for Knowledge?" Eastern Door: "Only one may pass." Zelina and Zan would be quick to follow of course, but as before they would be far too late to see the words.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian watched the djed gutter out of his vision like a dying candle, thinking it best to preserve what mental acuity remained rather than risk a migraine or passing out down in these ruins. Cursing the pain, he stood up carefully and moved around a bit, ginger on the ankle. He sighed and looked up. "I'm fine!" he assured Zelina before hobbling down the corridor. He still wanted first stab at whatever the next riddle might be. It was an odd leadership style, but they hadn't really decided who was leader. All he knew was he didn't want to follow Zan. His eyes roved along the walls, looking for any clues among the torches and pre-Valterrian architecture, but there was nothing until he came to the domed room. Three doors, three students. Just to be safe, he tried the eastern door, assuming if one were to open for a single student, it would be the one that read: only one may pass. Nothing. He sighed and sat down on a bit of fallen masonry to await his necessary companions and rest his ankle. Hadrian didn't really play well with others, but it was proving necessary now. When they arrived, he caught them up. Pointing at the western door, he said, "Sometimes what we most desire requires sacrifice." He hoped Zan would take that door. Northern: "What would you do for knowledge?" Eastern: "Only one may pass. "I tried the last one, but it's locked. My guess is that we all three of us have to take a door, and if that's the case, then we really do have to work together to find Shadowrunner. Are we ready?" He got up, still nearest the eastern door.

[Hatter]

Zelina frowned as Hadrian spoke. She seemed concerned for the other student's health but before she could open her mouth Zan pushed ahead and grabbed at the western door. With a firm grasp he pulled the handle and scoffed when it did not budge. He kicked it. Then he punched it. Then he kicked it again. The young man seemed determined to force open the portal - at least he was persistent - and every time he failed miserably. What an asset. While Zan fiddled with that Zelina turned toward Hadrian and shrugged before she set her mind to the riddle. "If you want I can take a look at you; I've studied medicine back home." She gave Hadrian a brief, warm smile, her personalty coming out as more of a genuine sort of creature. Her interested, it appeared, was not just for her own gain. "If that's the case than how about we all choose the that one?" She pointed at the Eastern door and snapped her fingers. Zan ceased his bashing and turned about, his ears perked. Maybe he had been listening. "Oh. What? Wait. Okay." Zan turned about and moved aggressively toward Hadrian. When he stopped he put a single palm forward in a dramatic gesture. "We choose this door!" Nothing happened. "All of us!" Nothing. "...thank you, Zan." Zelina said with a sigh. "Maybe the doors are all a single message. Not just individual?" It was apparent that the woman did not wish that to be so. What did that mean for their group?

[Hadrian]

"It's fine. Perhaps later," he added. He wasn't sure why she was being kind to him, but this whole contest and Zan's attitude had riled up his competitive spirit. And few women were kind to him. Perhaps it was a trap. In any case, if he was seriously injured, he would seek out Caelum later for medical attention. When Zelina's idea didn't seem to work, he scowled. "I've already sacrificed my ankle for knowledge. Do you think he'd accept a sacrifice of Zan?" But then the messages on the doors seemed to take on a more sinister hue, and Hadrian hoped he didn't have to kill his companions in order to pass this test. It seemed an unlikely option given Shadowrunner was a professor at the University, but one never knew with those who played with magic, and perhaps there was a reason he wasn't part of the permanent faculty. He sighed and tried to run Zelina's thought through his own cognitive processes. "Sometimes what we most desire requires sacrifice. What would you do for Knowledge? Only one may pass.." He thought about it. "Do you think we have to elect one person from the three of us to go forward?" he asked. "The other two sacrificing their chance? But then the people doing the sacrificing aren't getting the knowledge." Unless it was a trick and the one who did not sacrifice would pass through a door and Shadowrunner might appear to the two who remained and teach them. Perhaps if he... "Maybe we should send Zan," he said, sighing, but trying to sound reasonable. "He's the most experienced. He might even be willing to teach us what he learns..."

[Hatter]

Zan beamed. Was he really that thick? Maybe. The fact that Hadrian had complemented him bled away all of the prior insults and misgivings; it also obscured the fact that until now, the students had no trust for one another. With a thump of his chest, the Reimancer approached the door all three of them were huddled around and placed his hand on the handle. Zelina frowned. She was keen of mind and, worst of all, observant. She flashed Hadrian a knowing gaze, but she kept her mouth shut - apparently she came to the same conclusion. Surprisingly, the door opened. Huh. Pulling the portal aside, Zan revealed a broken hallway much similar to the original entrance. A narrow corridor continued down for some ways until it took a sharp turn to the right, the rest of which remained out of view. Zan, unafraid and proud of himself, gave his companions a toothy grin and began his descent into the unknown. Before he was even ten feet in the door slammed shut behind him. Magic, no doubt. A soft "click" followed and if tried, both would find that the door was locked once more. "Interesting." A voice spoke from the darkness. What? Like a ghost, a man stepped from the shadows. Not the typical professor, the individual was clad in vagrant garb, his facial features concealed by the brim of a wide hat; he was mysterious, dark, maybe even a little dangerous. He wore a variety of small trinkets along his belt and carried an obvious rucksack along his back, yet those items were trumped in spades by the long sword belt to his hip, the hilt of which was covered in glyphs and magical symbols. A magecrafted blade, no doubt. What else would one expect from an adventuring mage? He was nothing like anything the university provided. Toned, experienced, and most of all, he was obviously skilled. Zelina spun around. A hand came up to her chest an her eyes widened at the sudden intrusion, no doubt frightened by the sudden appearance. She took in a deep breath once she realized there were not in danger and took her time to align her senses, seemingly distraught now. While she may have been kind, she was not brave. Courages enough to get this far, at lest. Nevertheless, the girl found her tongue to be caught. She simply stared at the man - perhaps entranced, while she nervously pawed at the material of her skirts. In short, Zelina was scared. Shadowrunner did not seem to care. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the domed walls. How long had he been there? And how the hell had he remained hidden? The light was low, true, but there was no way his presence had been missed by all three of the students, especially with how much Zan was moving around. In any case the professor did not appear amused. Stoic. If there was a better word to describe a complete lack of emotion it escaped the situation; complete and utter apathy, maybe. When the man spoke again his low baritone filled the room with a mystical tone, somehow spurred onward by the architecture. No doubt he used it for the cinematic effect. "Just what I want, two selfish students that follow every rule set before them like good little children." Despite the lack of emotive tone, Shadowrunner seemed somehow annoyed. "Instead of working together you get your one, physically capable asset to go off on his own and explore something that very well might get him killed. They sure do teach you kids to be noble these days."

[Hadrian]

Though he hadn't known where exactly Shadowrunner was hiding, he was not surprised to hear his voice. He was tired, and even the small pleasure of outwitting Zan didn't give that back to him. He leaned against the wall to take the weight off his ankle and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't disrespectful, but he was certainly cool. One never knew what to expect from professors of magic: demagogues, priests, shamans, academics. One inevitably pleased some and could not please the others, and Hadrian didn't have the desire to butter one up at the moment. And after all, they said that Shadowrunner taught Webbing to non-Drykas students, which was, from what Hadrian understood, a prohibition among his kind, so when the man started going on about nobility, Hadrian kept silent. He had offered the game, they had all accepted it. There seemed little sense in mocking them for following the clues and finding him. Hadrian didn't think they had enough information to break the rules or he would have, most likely to have been berated for some other aspect of the game. But he and Zelina had won, and if that was all they got for it, so be it. Hadrian waited.

[Hatter]

"No words? You don't want to act on all that pride? You are proud of yourself." Shadowrunner's voice was contemptuous? Hateful? Knowing. He was arrogant, sure, but he had reason for his machinations. This man, whoever he was, had a high degree of power. Especially compared to these students. No doubt he lead them here, which accounted for an understanding of glyphing, he closed the doors, locked them - projection - and he was able to read Hadrian's emotions like a book. Auristics. Maybe he had not been hidden in a shadow, maybe he just voided in. Who knew. Without further conjecture Shadowrunner stepped forward and circled the two. He was closest to Zelina, who appeared to be far too concerned for her own well being to open her mouth. "What a lovely bunch." The professor sighed and stopped, now closer to Hadrian. "I can't very well teach mutes. Speak your mind, children."

[Hadrian]

"One has to learn the rules in order to break them, sir," he said, his tone bordering on disrespect. But he was tired, overworked, and now he was getting berated for not solving the puzzle in the manner which the unknown professor wanted it done. He hated when professors expected students to magically intuit their philosophies and adopt them prior to any sort of instruction. It was impossible. He also hated that he couldn't keep himself calm, as he was almost sure the man was reading his aura, even if he couldn't quite prove it just at the moment. "Here we are, for better or for worse." He spread his hands wide, keeping his weight on his good foot. "If we failed the moral portion of the exam, could you just send us home?" It seemed to him that a renegade such as Zephyrus Shadowrunner would be the last person to scold someone for not living the way he thought people should live, but Hadrian was learning that life was full of disappointments. The only person one could count on was themselves.