None of them had really realized they'd ended up in some strange, dark cistern until they were in it.

Vice had immediately halted when his hooves had touched water, and Jester truly couldn't blame him for it. The last few times they'd dealt with water had been.. difficult, to say the least. It'd taken some silent encouragement from Tarnished and some much louder false bravado level encouragement from a terrified Dorian to get the whole group moving again. Honestly, Jester was glad they were both here. Tarnished still hadn't once spoken, but Jester felt like they saw and heard far more than the rest of them. And somehow, they magically kept Vice with them. They had yet to be able to urge the blind horse out of the dungeons and into the light, but he was always waiting for them when they were ready to start again.

Jester had stopped asking other coursers to accompany them, instead relying on Vice's unwavering presence. He was a mystery to her, and probably to Dorian.. but Tarnished trusted him, and she trusted Tarnished. So far, neither of them had let her down. Dorian still seemed occasionally uneasy with his lack of sight, but seemed fascinated by his unparalleled ability to navigate the dungeon with what seemed like ease.

"It's getting deeper," Vice complained from somewhere behind her.

Dorian splashed up beside him, flicking his tail and spraying all of them with water. "Keep up, shorty!"

Vice bared his teeth but continued wading forwards. The water was up to his chest, just like it was at Jesters. She could see very little in the gloom, but she was able to identify strange, stone pillars that appeared to outline a pathway. She could not see the end of it, but something told her to keep pushing forward. The dark water was.. causing unease among the group, something about the depth and not being able to see had them all on edge. Jester wanted to get out as fast as she could, and the urgency must have shown in her hoofsteps.

"Everything alright?" Vice asked suddenly, and Jester heard rather than saw Tarnished come to a full stop.

Her own steps halted, and Dorian pulled up short. The question felt like an apple lodged in her throat. "What's wrong?"

"I.. thought I heard something." Vice's nostrils were quivering, his sightless head appeared to be scanning their surroundings despite knowing full well he couldn't see. "I heard a splash."

Jester knew better than to question him, but Dorian apparently didn't get the memo. "How can you hear over our own splashing?"

Vice looked instantly annoyed, his posture turning defensive. "I don't know, I just can." He snapped.

Tarnished touched his shoulder with their nose, and some of the tension leaked away. Jester found herself staring in the darkness, and then she heard it. One, single splash. Louder than any they'd made so far, and Vice's head whipped towards the sound. He was straining, ears pulled forwards and Tarnished had already begun to draw their weapon. Ripples began forming on the waters surface, lapping higher on her body and chilling her skin further.

"We need to move." Jester said, looking again to the large pillars. "Follow me."

"Wait," Vice called out, still standing stone still.

"I think it's too late for that," Dorian whispered, fear creeping into his voice.

Something had not quite broken the surface of the water, and was rushing towards them at great speed.