It had taken some time, about four minutes to be exact, but with the aid of a few now-interested students they'd managed to stack the chairs high enough to reach a vent in the ceiling. Though a glance to the side showed him that he wasn't the only one with such an idea, and after watching a red-headed girl ascend in a marvelous display of vines, he didn't feel as bad about taking the grate off. 

[color=00aeef]"Alright, up this way,"[/color] he said, climbing in. Roughly half a dozen students followed, but he hoped more would see the chair stack and open vent, then make the connection themselves.

The vents were dark and dusty, but tight spaces didn't bother him nearly as much as the possible explosion did. There were plenty of twists and turns, and none seemed any more viable of an option than the other. What was worse, none of the ones who had followed seemed to have any clues either. He supposed that was one advantage the upper years would have on the freshmen, knowing the school's layout seemed no less than crucial, especially if they were to expect events like this.

Something not too far off caught his eye, and as he crawled closer he saw that there were smudges in the dust, like tracks. Someone had come through here, perhaps the vine girl, perhaps some other student. Whatever the case, the trail led away from the auditorium, which was a better lead than anything else he could find. 

They traveled on, each moment passed a reminder that their time was running out. At last he heard commotion below, far less than a crowd. The tracks were gone, but a few grates offered a good view of a hallway beneath them. Even if it wasn't the dorms, at least it was closer than the auditorium was. Mashuka took hold of the grate beneath him, and though it took a few good shakes, he managed to push it off. Or rather, push through it. His arms broke through the frail metal, and though the cover fell, he found himself toppling 

[color=00aeef]"Holy-"[/color] he managed to turn as he fell, landing in a crouch before falling back on his rear. [color=00aeef]"Shit."[/color]

He pried the grate off of his arms with a foot, then moved to let the rest of the students who had followed drop, albeit with a bit more grace. When that was done they dispersed without a word, and when Mashuka got to his feet he saw that they were indeed by the dorms. Well, that had gone a bit better than expected, though he hoped he wouldn't get in too much trouble for busting the grate.