“I never thought I would say this, but I actually miss Serphia…a bit”

“I don’t.” Liaena said decisively, still glowering down the corridor where the other two sentinels had run off again. The look she was giving their departed backsides strongly implied that should the pair come back without Kathlin and Liam, another cave-in could be imminent. Lack of potions not withstanding. 

“You…wouldn’t happen to know….where the nearest exit is?”

Ceasing with the death glare momentarily, Liaena turned around in a slow circle to give the matter some serious thought as she surveyed their surroundings. The grumpy noise the girl produced indicated she had a similarly negative view of the situation. “Hmn. No. Well. Maybe.”

“…….”

“There’s a harbour down here somewhere. That’s probably the closest way out, given how deep we are” Liaena said after a long pause where she chewed thoughtfully on her upper lip. “There was a lift to it, till I blew it up. There are big, brass doors that look….”

Here followed a moment where Liaena tried to sketch the shapes of the brass etchings in the air in front of her, without much success. “….just really big, brass doors with engravings on them. If we find a set of those, we can get down to the dock. And you know…steal a ship.”

“If we’re not back by morning, Thea’ll send someone to help…Right?” Bella piped up from her shoulder. Liaena shook her head slightly, causing a squawk as the girl ducked. “Eh, Doubt it…anyway, that’s beside the point. If the King is visiting this morning, we have to get back before then”

“I got some good photos” Bella said smugly as she raised up the piece of gnomish tech in one hand. “Cultists. Cultists getting beaten. That knight…thing. Oh, and that elf. He was kinda cute”

“….”

“I swear Syn’dial, next time your pets run off, you can get them back!”

Liaena was spared from having to respond to that final comment from Bella, with Aleena and Lithriell’s return.  The two elfs grumbling loudly, Kathlin and Liam were unceremoniously dropped on the ground to scramble to their feet. “Hi, Li”

“Hi” Liaena said distractedly as she turned back to Rithrynn. “Okay, so find the lift shaft. That’s the plan”

“Does the plan allow for being chased by spectres?” 

“…find the lift shaft, [i]quickly[/i]. That’s the plan” Liaena revised her previous statement slightly as she turned to Rithrynn, making a brief ‘shooing’ motion with her hands. “Cmon, let’s go”