The air got hotter and dried with each step Coronet took deeper into the the Earthen Furnace. Below his hooves the ground was shiny and reflective. Some sort of obsidian, or glass? His hound, who he'd taken to calling Faithful, trailed behind him, hesitant to place paws on the surface. Coronet frowned. He didn't want his pet to get hurt. He had hooves that protected him at least a little, but the dog didn't have any sort of insulation from the presumably hot floor. "Hold on, I'll figure something out."

Coronet paced the hot, shiny chamber, looking for a solution. He notices a strange melt heap in one corner. Once it had been something metallic. Maybe some sort of sculpture? The Courser wasn't sure, but at the moment it seemed like the perfect solution. "C'mon Faithful, get up."

The hound regarded him with dark, serious eyes, and then obeyed. His furry body leapt up onto the long melted metal. He tilted his head, looking at Coronet for further instructions. "Onto my back. I'll carry you until things cool down." Faithful gave a yip, and then launched himself into the air. He scrabbled for purchase on Coronet's back, but managed to settled in a few moments. "I'll try not to go too fast, okay?"

The hound seemed content, so Coronet headed towards a passed he'd spied. The floor sloped gradually downwards, and hot air buffeted him. Sweat broke out across his back, but he plodded on. Somewhere down here he was sure he was going to find a treasure, or a challenge worthy of him. Eventually the passage ended, spilling into a wide room. The walls were rough, as if the stones had been exposed to intense heat and partially melted. Otherwise, the area was quite barren. Strangely, the black floor was tiled. They looked like they had been carefully constructed. Coronet bent closer to check on them when he noticed a yellow-red substance just beginning to seep from the tile joints. The air got hotter and hotter. Lava!

His first instinct was to rear, but Faithful was on his back. The lava welled up, licking at his hooves. A sick smell of burning met his nose. He needed to escape. Faithful whined, and he could feel the hound cowering. Coronet spun, looking for the passage entrance. Many feet of tiles separated them from safety, and each second the lava inched higher.

Coronet took a deep breath, gathered his strength and leapt. He kept his eyes on his destination - the flooring right in front of the passage. He barely made it, and landed with a splash. A tiny fleck of lava made contact with his front knee. He screamed. But there was no time to panic. He galloped forward, back up the passage way.

Behind him, the lava filled the sloping corridor, creeping ever higher. Breathing hard, from exertion and pain, Coronet backed away. They'd need to find another place to explore, with much less lava. He turned his head, to check on Faithful. The hound looked shaken, but unharmed. His own leg smarted, but the burn was small. "We made it. We're all right. But let's find a different way to go ..."