"Define 'benign'," Barcus says, more just to keep himself talking than anything else. He's not really looking for a spiritual debate "Darkness itself should be neutral, but so often it goes hand in hand with...abominations."

He shivers, but they're already in it and he'd feel downright cowardly backing out now, so he starts to make his way along the path of the running red water. "You're right though, even if the well isn't...haunted, or whatever is meant to be occurring here. One child fell into it, best if they board it up so there's only the one casualty."

He moves forward as what is a cautious pace to a gnome, and so Maedhros' much longer legs may find him impossibly slow. The darkness does seem to press in more the further they go, however, to the point where the lanterns only light a few feet around them. They've entered a restriction in the cave before Barcus even notices, as a consequence, and he pauses to touch the wall beside him. "...let me know if the passage gets too small for you? It won't help anyone if you get stuck."