"It's more than he deserves," Menya muttered, at Bakr's prognosis of the doctor's condition. She turned to Alfreldi. "Are you all right? Can you move?"<br/><br/>She nodded thanks at Bakr's first aid, and stripped Garetz's magical items off him for her own use. To keep him from causing more mischief too easily after he woke up, she made sure to tie him before leaving him behind. It wasn't perfect, but perhaps it might delay him a bit.<br/><br/>Her hopes rising, she followed the mermaid to the entryway to al-Samara's safehouse. "Lead the way, Zelda!" She knew what she had to do... stepping forward, she pulled out the serpentine scale that al-Samara had given her, one night a different lifetime ago. "No, I didn't steal it, Al-Samara entrusted me with it," she explained pre-emptively and left it at that, as the scale left her hand and floated over to the fountain to fit in like a key in a lock, opening the way further down.<br/><br/>Menya made sure to retrieve the scale before descending the stairs.<br/><br/><em>Perception: 27</em>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=79065)<br/><br/>Menya took point, wading through the water, scalpel clutched in one hand and the other ready to from the somatic gestures of a spell at a moment's notice. Suddenly she stopped and raised her fist for silence, her tears twitching and straining forward to listen. Stopped, her companions' sloshing died away, and beyond the rumble of flowing water she heard movement coming from... above! She had to admire the architect who came up with the plans for this place. Having just descended to reach the catacombs, she didn't expect to have to turn back upwards.<br/><br/>She lifted her head and breathed in deeply, confirming with her nose what her ears told her. The springwater-and-lime smell of her - Arensha's - beloved al-Samara was something she knew intimately and would never forget as long as she lived. It brought back memories of shared nights and sent a pang of lust through her nether regions, completely inappropriate for the current moment but there was nothing she could do other than ignore it as much as she could. "This way!" she said, moving ahead with clear direction, leading them into an open room with a ladder leading up.<br/><br/>Menya looked around at the group of al-Samara's would-be rescuers. They were a motley, under-equipped bunch with no idea what they were up against, going up against an assassin who was no-doubt equipped with the best gear and intelligence that gold could buy. If he felt carefree enough to sing, he must be extremely confident in his ability to win, and she had a hunch that his confidence wasn't entirely misplaced for once.<em>A bard, a ranger, and an alchemist walk into a bar...</em>It sounded like a joke, not to mention Alfreldi and Zelda as well. It wouldn't be fair to put those two in danger too, or at least, any more danger than they were all already in. "If you two stay down here, it should be safe, relatively speakinya," she told them. She took a deep breath. "If the worst happens, you run for the surface and call all the guards you can." She turned to Hanifa and Bakr. "Ready? Let's get this son of a bitch."<br/><br/><hr/><br/><em>Stealth: 27 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=79066)<br/>Perception: 28 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=79067)</em><br/><br/>Menya wandered the catacombs seemingly at random, but in reality she was following her nose towards al-Samara's location. She kept a sharp lookout for any potential assassins at the same time, but despite her efforts she didn't locate any - they must be on a completely different level from the ones she had faced before. A familiar voice in her mind announced itself unexpectedly; she had to bite her lip to stop herself from giving away her position with a cry of surprise and joy.<em>Al-Samara! We're here to help!</em><br/><br/><hr/><br/>Menya<br/>Active: none<br/>HP 44+10 temp/52<br/>Resources used: 1 3rd-level spell, 1 2nd-level spell, 2 rounds archaeologist's luck