The water sloshed all around their legs, a murky gray hue dampening any hint of what might be waiting beneath the surface. Metal pipes jut out from all directions, cascading the pathways with layers of steam and smoke that clog Coriander's nose and send Stryx coughing into the echoing channels with a horrendous sound. Behind them, Kanene and Jack both move the best they can through the maze of machinery with eyes that pick apart the scene, desperate to unravel the looming mystery that's kept them all so busy.

"Do you think it's possible we might never find the way to get this system drained?" Kanene's voice echoes gently off the cold walls, soothing the frustrated feelings that flood through Coriander's veins. Jack seems indifferent, but perhaps a little nervous that they might ultimately fail.

"Not sure. Maybe, but at the rate we're going, we'll be lucky if there's a way out for us." Coriander responds.

It's true there hasn't been much in terms of progress the last few days-- Their team briefly split up to try and cross-plan where they've been, but with the water constantly seeping in and out of different chambers, it's damn near impossible to keep track of their steps without doubling over into mathematics only a true genius could understand. Jack could barely keep track of his own feet, and Stryx was too hellbent on kicking most everything in their path to be of much use. Kanene was smart, sure, but Coriander wasn't willing to risk hours-- or hell, days-- just to map out a few chambers of this place out of hundreds.

Another tunnel opens up into a chasm with waters so deep it chills the air. It makes Coriander's chest tighten, his lips peeling back into a thin line as his eyes search the surface for any debris they could use to help hoist them across. Nothing, though. Nothing but the bottomless, black and blue sludge that dares call itself liquid. His nose flares, and he casts a harrowing look back over his shoulder to Kanene who's waiting impatiently for the result of his observations. Clearly this is not the way forward, and Stryx throws another dislodged pipe out into the water out of sheer annoyance for the goose chase they're currently on. It plunges through the surface, showing the center of the chamber with little droplets that sprinkle themselves carelessly over the water's surface. Jack hums, gesturing to an off-shoot he'd been poking around in. "Could be a way through," he suggests, and Coriander hesitantly takes up the offer with Kanene not far behind.

Stryx lingers only long enough to make an untoward gesture at the water before making her way back towards the pack, budging ahead just enough to clear their way as Kanene and Coriander dip into meaningless conversation to fill the tense, daunting silence.

"Do you hear that?" Jack asks, and the four of them stop just long enough to pick up on a monotonous ticking that trembles up the metal walls. Coriander's ears twist, and Kanene cranes her head back to listen. "What is it?"

"Another dead end, probably," Stryx snorts, but Coriander isn't so sure.

"Let's follow it. See where it leads."