Butch reaches the edge of the still, black water. The tether yanks his arm toward the basin, and the seam beneath the surface begins to glow.
The light widens into a clean, hungry line in the floor, not a door at all. It sits under the water like a hidden mouth.
The surface ripples, and the reflection changes. No ceiling appears there, only a vast void, staring back for the sigil’s energy.
The chamber answers with a low pull, as if the basin itself is drawing breath. The old bargain was never guarding treasure, it is feeding.
The tether tightens again, aligning Butch directly over the seam. Whatever waits below is awake, and it knows the mark on his body.
The black water lies perfectly still again, but the glow under it does not fade. It waits for the first step.
✓ Quest Accepted
Sever the basin’s conduit