Serphia gave a swift nod as the wizard said he was ready. She led the way out of that hallway, heading into the one where she had found the guard. Along the way, she grabbed at Arloke’s silk, pulling it from the ceiling and balling it in her hands. This silk wasn’t sticky like the rest. It was a support strand to help him if he were to lose his footing and fall from the ceiling as he crawled. It was sturdy and as she balled it up, was quickly turning into a decent weapon she could throw if she had to, though she was more interested in feeding the silk back to Arloke after they escaped this accursed place. 

As they passed along the iron enforced doors, the assassin took a moment to peer into the cells. Most were empty but a few held criminals bound to the wall just as she had been. She took note of the larger looking men within the cells. They could do some serious damage if left to their own devices. She would find a way to free them if she and the mage found themselves between a rock and a hard place. It wasn’t ideal to step into a situation you didn’t fully prepare for, though she could do it when the need arose. She did have a few meager spells under her belt, though magic was not her speciality, and she had Arloke. The two had worked together ever since she hatched the critter from its egg. She didn’t imagine they would need the help of the other prisoners but one never knew. It was good to have a backup plan. 

Serphia paused at the stairs, dropping her body low so as to not be seen. Her eyes scanned the room of guards with a frown. The fireplace made it impossible to sneak into that room without being seen unless she cast Umbral Shroud. She peered down around them, taking note of the many shadows that littered the small stairwell. The ability would allow her to step into the room but that would be about it. She would have to douse the fire if she wanted to be able to work properly. 

When the mage signaled for her to move down the stairs, she slowly slid her body along, her purple eyes locking on him as he explained what they could do if he had the proper components. Her eyes moved to the ball of silk she still had in her palm and gave a small nod. She slowly reached back to pass the silk to Arloke who diligently wove it into the current threads holding him to her back. 

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” She said as she peered up the stairs again, her heightened hearing listening for any sudden movement from the guards. All she heard from them thus far were chatter and grumbling. Someone must have been losing rather badly at their card game. 

The problem would be ridding the room of the guards. Ideas flew through her head at a million thoughts a second. It would not be the first time she took out a room of people but she usually had the time and means to prepare, poison in their drinks, torches mysteriously missing but now she had to think of a way to handle this situation without any preparation, or her items. 

She gave a few quick clicks of her tongue and Arloke slowly lowered himself off her back. She reached out to scratch him thoughtfully as he came to settle just next to her on the stairs. Slowly Serphia moved back up to the lip of the stairs, peering into the room as she tried to come up with a tactic. She [i]needed[/i] to put that fire out if she wanted to have any chance to take these men out. She peered up at the top of the doorway, finding a sturdy looking frame. An idea began to brew in her mind as she quietly jumped up, grabbing a hold of the frame and quickly pulled herself up. Arloke hurried along the wall, seeking to stay as close to her side as possible. 

She paused a moment, balancing precariously as she listened for any change in the sounds from the other side of the room. The three guards didn’t seem to notice and she still heard the loud snoring from the one in the chair. With a wave of her hand, she called the shadows to her, encasing herself in their darkness and disappearing into the abyss. She dropped down on a knee, using one hand and her leg as a clasp to hold onto the door frame as she peered into the room beyond. The fire lit up quite a bit of the room but there were places where its light didn’t touch, mostly the wall that the fireplace was built into. A large pot of something steaming was hovering over the flames and a few skewers of pork roasting right by the fire. 

That wasn’t too helpful to her as she moved her gaze from the room down to Arloke. She needed a distraction and though she didn’t like using her beloved pet as such, she had no choice in this matter. She clicked her tongue a few times, exposing her hand from the shadow cloak so that Arloke could see her point to the table of men. His eyes moved from her to the table before he began to crawl along the wall, slipping out from the hallway and scurrying along the ceiling. 

Covering herself in the shadow once more, she watched as the large spider made his way towards the middle of the room, pausing a moment just over the table. He waited there for her signal and as she let out a low whistle, he dropped down directly into the middle of the table. Chips and cards went flying in every direction as the large spider landed, the guards staring at him in confusion for only a moment before that confusion turned into disgust and anger. Shouts began to sound as the guards got to their feet, pulling their swords and getting ready to attack her spider friend. 

Serphia moved then, flipping through the doorway and into the room. Moving as fast as her legs would take her, she made her way to the fireplace, her shadows slowly pulling away from her to expose her once more as she drew closer and closer to the flames. With a swift kick to the pot that was sitting just inside the fireplace, she watched in relief as the large pot of stew overturned and spilled out onto the flames, dousing the fire with the sounds of harsh sizzling. Smoke poured into the room and Serphia called the shadows to her once more. She whirled around to see Arloke frantically trying to get off the table as the guards took swings at him. 

She rushed forward, sending a swift kick to one of the guard's knees directly before her. The surprised man yelp out as he found that leg no longer supporting his weight and dropped to that knee. Serphia vaulted over him and grabbed a hold of Arloke before she threw him up and towards the ceiling. The spider latched onto the rafters above with some well placed silk as Serphia turned onto the four men in the room, the sleeping one having woken up the moment the ruckus began. 

Time to get to business.