Heavy eyelids drooped down over mismatched eyes as Samir trekked dilligently through the seemingly endless dungeon passages. Sleep has continued to elude him on his expedition of independence, but the nagging desire to prove himself spurred the tired courser onwards. What exactly he was trying to prove to himself he wasn't entirely sure of anymore. This goal that was once so well defined and clear in his mind's eye, now lay obscured in uncertain fog.

Fatigue weighed so heavily upon Samir that he didn't notice when the cobbles beneath his hooves began to slope away. Even the nervous whines from Jenny didn't seem to rouse the dozy horse. The air began to grow dense, swaddling Samir in pillowy warmth, reducing his movement to a crawl. Sleep finally returned to Samir, the exhausted courser coming to a stop, head hung low as his legs threatened to buckle. 

The sharp alarm of Jenny's bark roused him, eyes snapping open to take in the looming form that towered over him. Vision darting around from magma river to geyser jet and finally back to the fire elemental baring down upon him. Was this another nightmare? The raw heat radiating from the magma flows and wafting down on the elemental's breath convinced him otherwise.

"Oh shit!" 

This was real! Samir had all but sleep walked into the floors below the Overgrown Caverns and now found himself in territory entirely unfamiliar to him. He managed to take a few terrified steps backwards, Jenny winding through his shaking legs, still barking wildly at the monster before him. This was it. He was going to be burnt to a crisp before ever having successfully completed a solo expedition. 

"Move you idiot!" An unfamiliar voice sounded behind him and suddenly Samir found himself being shoved off to the side. A brindled courser had appeared and slammed their flank into his, forcing him out of the way as the elemental's fist came down in a crushing blow. The stone where Samir and Jenny had just been standing was pulverized, rocky shards scattering across the room and into the magma river below. 

"Over there, the door - RUN!" Samir's rescuer directed him across the landing and through a heavy stone door. The champagne dun gave it a swift kick, slamming it closed behind them right before a blast of flames scorched the area. 

Samir's eyes bulged from his skull, sheer terror gripping him. His nerves were shot, he was ready to give up. Adjusting to the dimness of the space he peered in awe at the courser who'd come to his aid. He swallowed hard, his throat dry and ragged. "Thank you... you... you saved my life!"

"Don't worry about it - I'm sure you would have done the same for me." He gave a bright smile, seemingly unperterbed by the ordeal they'd just been through. "No offense, but you look like hell. We should be alright here, lay down for Gods' sake. What're you doing down here anyways?"

Samir's ears pinned back, looking away as he gratefully let his legs collapse beneath him. "I'm exploring... I-I'm a dungeoneer... I'm..." He gave a long sigh, crestfallen at his own stuttering and directionless travel. "I don't know what I'm doing. I thought I did, but now that it's just me and Jenny, I feel like all of this is a mistake. Maybe I should just go back to squiring for spoiled nobles."

Quite unexpectedly, his rescuer let out a laugh as he too reclined in the side chamber, shaking his head dismisively. "I don't think even the most seasoned explorers really know what they're doing down here, even if they won't admit it. I'm Logue, by the way."

"Oh, sorry, how rude - I'm Samir. This is Jenny."

Logue gave another smile before speaking further, "I think you're being a bit hard on yourself. No one can safety explore this place when they're as tired as you seem to be. There's no right pace at which to progress and you don't have to be down here alone."

Samir considered Logue's words, surprised by the suddenly sage advice given so gently by a complete stranger. Slowly he nodded, sighing again and looking down to the dirt beneath him. "You're right, I know you're right. It's just... everyone else seems so confident out here alone and I'm tired of being a burden to others. I don't know I could contribute to a group so I came down here to see what I'm capable of. Though I didn't mean to end up in the Furnace."

Logue let out a soft chuckle, tail flicking behind him with amusement. "I don't know you, but no one can contribute anything if they're exhausted. You need to sleep, and then go home to regroup. You don't have to explore with others, but there's nothing shameful in it. You'll find your place, your role, amongst your peers by actually being in their company. By working together in a team." 

"You're right." Samir echoed his previous conversational turn, once again looking away sheepishly. Logue's words were gentle but there was a sternness to them that Samir recognized was centered in genuine empathy. He would do what the more seasoned courser suggested and spend dedicated time reflecting on his time in the Sunken Kingdom. Perhaps he would find clear purpose again and carve out his own place in this strange subterranean realm.