The fall didn't kill them, though Jester thought maybe it should have. She couldn’t really remember what happened, she just remembered the platform tilting and sliding into the abyss with Pandora screaming after them. Did they even hit the ground? Jester lifted her head, slowly rolling onto her stomach.

“Easy, kid.” It was Pandora, her voice gentle. “You took quite the tumble.”

The Slapper was the first thing she saw, and the hand apparently just wanted to scold her. Jester found it hard to focus,the hands movements a little too fast for her still addled brain. She waited through a few moments of aggressive - concerned? - finger pointing and gesturing before the Hand settled down. Idley, it began to stroke the ridge of her nose. Jester leaned into the hand, unbothered by the strange buzzing of energy in place of flesh.

“How are you feeling?”

“Awful.” Jester croaked. “How are the others?”

“We’re all fine, thankfully.”

“Jester!” That was Dorian, and his voice felt like a spike being driven through her skull. “I’m so glad you’re okay! We were so worried.”

“Enough, Dorian.” Chided the puck, apparently catching Jester’s wince. “Go see Rattler.”

The young overo looked like he wanted to argue, but seemed to think better of it before slinking off to the white heraldic. Attention diverted, Rattler descended upon Dorian: all teeth and hooves and brutish squealing. If it had been any other Courser, Jester might have been alarmed - but the maneless mare seemed to instantly relax the minute her teeth made true contact with his coat. The squealing settled into disgruntled snorting, though when Dorian went to drag his own teeth across her withers she screamed again and struck the air.

“So dramatic.”

Jester snorted, eyes settling on Pandora as she folded her legs under herself and flopped down next to her. “Is she always this extra?”

“You have no idea.” Pandora’s eyes glittered. “She’s in fine spirits today, however.”

Jester wasn’t sure she saw it. “Is she now?”

“I’d wager she’s quite content, actually.”

Jester simply nodded, unsure of what to say further. Pandora seemed to have no issues letting their conversation taper off, letting the easy silence of this specific room lull them into a sense of peace. It was, obviously, short lived.

Another squeal punctured through the cavern, though the pitch of it was strange and it brought Jesters attention back to Rattler and Dorian. “What’s going on?”

Pandora was on her hooves in an instant, literally bounding over Jester to get to where Rattler was standing. Jester rose and followed, confusion and exhaustion making her steps heavy and clumsy. What greeted them at one of the far entrances was anything but welcoming.

A strange, red ooze was seeping into the room. It smelt metallic, and Jester had the nauseating feeling it was blood. Or, meant to be blood? Uncertainty rolled through her as she stepped closer to Dorian, who was staring intently at Rattler staring intently at the.. Not blood. Pandora’s face was particularly grim.

“Again?” She asked the heraldic, pressing their sides together.

“Again?” Dorian asked, voice rising with his discomfort.

Rattler shot him a look, then turned to Jester who’s expression must have given away her thoughts. Pandora was the one who spoke, however. “Pretty sure we’ve been here before. Stay close, and don’t touch anything.”

“Are we moving forward?”

“Would you like to stay?” Questioned Pandora, with a strange calm.

“Or go to the surface?” Rattler’s tone was gruffer, “Back home?”

Jester frowned at that. “I have no home.”

To avoid any unnecessary commentary or further question along that pattern of thinking, Jester stepped around one of the larger pools of blood and began picking her way down the passageway. Rattler was on her heels almost instantly, a bit too close for her liking but she wasn’t in any position to complain. If the older Coursers had been this way before, Jester was fairly certain they could handle whatever was at the end.

It took a while for them to pick through the corridor, there were pools of stagnant red ooze everywhere. While Jester was carefully avoiding, Rattler was just plowing through. The white mare had long since passed Jester and the others up, moving with purpose. Her legs were stained red, and each time she stepped in one of the puddles she couldn’t help but wince. The Slapper was making movements somewhere to her left that read as ‘ew’ and ‘disgusting’ by Jesters approximations.

Pandora and Dorian were also attempting to keep dry, though Dorian had taken a stumble directly into one of the cracks in the ground. He’d handled it really well, not panicking about the red staining his front legs.

Rattler stopped when the passage opened up into another room, and Pandora was actually the first one into the room. Jester couldn’t see much, but she could see the huge stone sarcophagus in the center of the room. It looked to be the source of the strange red liquid, though there seemed to be strange, fleshy growths covered in that same shade of red all around the stones. Very odd. Very disgusting.

“What is that?” Jester asked, nose wrinkling.

“Uncertain.” Was Rattler’s entirely comforting reply.