Goud, Ian and Raphael managed to rout the hell hounds thoroughly and so the party continued on their way. Ian had a bit of a regret because he thought they were very cool and it was a shame that they couldn't be tamed.

In general Ian was especially interested in the furnace because he felt an affinity for the environment. The heat did not bother him at all, in fact he preferred it to the usual temperatures on the surface. He was somewhat interested in blacksmithing, well more to the point weapon smithing but that was from the point of view of being an enthusiastic consumer at the moment. 

He had plans to talk to his father Edos about being a weapon or armor smith but he wanted to rank up to Officer first before putting in any requests. 

The cavern they were in now also had a half-filled with a lava pool but this one was active. There was even a snake-like creature that was disappearing in and out of the smoldering goop.

"Do you think that is an actual wrym variant or some sort of illusion?" Ian asked his companions.

"The hounds seem to think it is real," Raphael commented, "The two of them keep barking at it."

Ian continued to watch it for a few more minutes before reluctantly turning away and continuing deeper into the furnace.

"He is very near by," Vynak reported suddenly, "I don't know if we are separated by a wall or if he was around the corner but my charm had changed color."

"Shall we try calling out for him?" Ian suggested.

Vynak shook his head, "Let's keep going. It's almost impossible to hear anything from a long distance with the clanging of the forge."

"Oh yes you're right," Ian agreed, and he laughed a bit at his silliness.