A dimly lit path out of the dungeon led to a strangely wet tunnel. After the dark room it was a welcome break as Reaper, Kaiage, Helissent and Thunderstepper ventured on. Once again Reaper had taken the rear with Helissent ahead of him and Thunderstepper leading the charge. Crossbow at the ready he saw how the party kept up a quick pace. They had sped up after Kaiage had found a way out through a narrow pathway. Well, a pathway that Sizzle had found. Her serpent had signalled it looked and smelled unguarded so she was helping Thunderstepper navigate through it. 

“Hey, Reaper?” Helissent drew his attention. Kaiage being busy, she had left Helissent without someone to talk to. And he had been walking alone... “Are you doing alright? You look drained.”

“I’m just tired, Helissent.” Reaper sighed. “I never expected us to get this lost. Or wet. I need a towel or three to get the grime out of my hooves.”

“Tell me about it.” Helissent laughed. “It’s a bit of a strange situation we’re in today. But I was hinting towards…the other thing.”

“The tome of Shadows.” Reaper said darkly. “It is what it is, Helissent. Still  letting malignant energy out, still whispering and still begging to be used.”

That was an understatement. That tome was becoming a more consistent problem. It is and was a cursed artifact left behind by a malignant spirit in an old library. And it had bound itself to Reaper. He had it chained to his saddlebag as it tended to act out. Right now, however, it was silent and he told Helissent as such.

“Good.” She said, “Let’s keep walking before something goes wrong, though. You know Kaiage and Thunderstepper aren’t quite the eyes and brains of this party.”

Right as she said that something in front of them clicked. Before Reaper could react Thunderstepper had already lifted his hoof from the button. He should not have done that- another click echoed and a distant, sudden rumble shook the ground. The party looked up to see a wall of murky water race around the bend as it rushed right towards them. They saw objects bobbing on the surface- some old bones while others were glinting treasures.

And then the water was upon them. It hit Reaper like a monster would. He screamed out in shock and almost swallowed mud. His hooves kicked out, now they had to swim against the current to escape the pathway- and its rising tide. Lucky, his black cat, yowled. She dug her claws into Reaper’s forehead. As he looked he could see that the others were helping their pets too. Suneater and Peak, who were Thunderstepper’s wolf and Helissent’s golden hound respectively, kept swimming at their owner’s sides. But Kaiage held Sizzel up. Her serpent was frantically looking for an exit.

Another wave. Ahead, Thunderstepper bellowed a command, “We need higher ground!” His massive frame surged forward. He was covered head to hoof in armour but he was making the most progress. His muscles rippled under the strain of the rising current. Suneater was at his side and Helissent was close behind him, her golden hound Peak yipping encouragement.

But Reaper hissed when something tugged at the edges of his mind. He blinked, shaking the water from his mane as Lucky continued her yowling. The cursed tome’s whispers grew louder, an oily voice whispering half-promises and dark warnings. He forced the sound away so he could focus on fighting against the churning water. He could not-

“Thunderstepper!” Kaiage shouted, her voice barely carrying over the roaring waves. She held her serpent Sizzel a little higher aloft. Its eyes kept darting around the tunnel’s walls around a single spot. “There’s an alcove to the left- Sizzel sees it!”

Reaper followed where Sizzle was looking. As he squinted at the left wall a faint outline of a ledge became visible. It was just high enough to offer the entire party a temporary refuge. But reaching it would require crossing the worst of the current. And it was dangerous, laced with all kinds of dangerous debris- bones, shattered wood and gleaming fragments of metal.

“We don’t have a choice!” Reaper growled, his own voice resonating with two different undertones. The tome was digging in while he was fighting to stay alive. “Head for it!”

Seemingly shrugging off the weight of his armour, Thunderstepper quickly veered toward the ledge. Helissent followed, her strokes steady despite the weight of her chainmail. Kaiage, the lightest of them all, moved with surprising speed, her serpent guiding her movements as she followed the others. Reaper lingered in the rear. He called out each time when his eyes saw a piece of debris rushing past. Lucky hissed at a particularly sharp piece of wood that bobbed too close. He narrowly dodged it, gritting his teeth as he pushed harder against the current, and kept calling out. And every single time he called out the tome pulsed again. It was stronger each time it tried until the water seemed to darken around him. He could feel it cling on like tendrils of smoke as the artifact’s power coiled in his mind. Just a little more, it urged. Open me, Reaper. I will give you the strength to save them.

“No,” he snarled. “You don’t own me.”

Lucky’s claws dug deeper into Reaper’s mane, her hiss snapping him back to the moment. His cousin was gone. Panic flared until he looked up and saw that Thunderstepper was already on the ledge. He had made it and so had Hellisent. He had braced against the rock and was hauling Helissent up with his teeth. Kaiage was next, her serpent curling around the rocks to give her extra leverage. Reaper pushed himself to follow. Just as he reached the ledge and was hauling himself up, a large object slammed into his side. A broken treasure chest, its contents spilling into the water. Gold coins and glittering gems scattered as he lost his footing.

Reaper plunged back into the murky water. The tome seized this moment of weakness. Its chains rattled and an unseen force yanked at his consciousness. This time the whispers surged to a grand crescendo. He was powerless to resist, feeling himself slipping right towards the dark promises it offered. Images of power, control and vengeance flashed through his mind. It was tempting him to lash out and for a split second- he almost agreed. Then sense reasserted itself.

“No!” Reaper roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. He kicked hard, his rear hooves slamming into the chest and propelling him toward the ledge. “Cousin!”

Thunderstepper reached down, his strong jaw clamping around Reaper’s saddle strap. With a mighty heave the stallion pulled Reaper onto the ledge. The archer collapsed in a heap, coughing up water as Lucky scrambled to his back, her fur bristling. Helissent took her in, Peak curling around the soaking cat.

“Hey.” Kaiage’s voice drew Reaper’s attention. The white and golden mare leaned over him, concern etched into her features. “Reaper, are you- ”

“I’m fine,” he rasped, though his trembling limbs betrayed his words.  “It’s not me. The tome...it’s getting stronger.”

Thunderstepper nodded grimly. “We need to deal with that. But first- let’s take a moment to breathe. We have to get out of here first.”