Noah stood at the well's edge, looking down into darkness that seemed to swallow light. The stench was worse here, concentrated, the smell of death that had been festering for who knew how long. His armored fingers gripped the stone lip, testing its stability.
'One hundred twenty feet down. In water. With something hostile waiting.'
He took a breath, centered himself, felt white chi flowing through his core beneath the armor. Then he jumped.
The fall lasted maybe three seconds before he hit water. The impact would have hurt without the armor, but the Knight's Grace absorbed most of it. Cold enveloped him immediately, seeping through the gaps in his armor, shocking his system. He forced himself to relax, to not fight the descent, letting momentum carry him deeper.
