Reaching the Earthen Furnace wasn’t easy. Johnny was glad that he finally reached the next level. But he has never been here before, he only knew the place from other adventurers' stories. But he finally did it. 

With every step the corridor was slowly starting to feel like the inside of an oven. The chill, moisty air of the Overgrown Caverns was completely gone. It got replaced by hot and dry air smelling with sulfur. 

Finally the corridor ended and before Johnny’s eyes stood the full grace of Earthen Furnace. And it was quite a look. Cracked rocky floor with lava and fire in the crevices. Magma fountains in the distance. Even monsters such as skeletons and hellhounds Johnny saw before only in the pictures.

He stood there for a moment, taking it all in, thinking how to approach all of this. Bob crawled on his neck, tangling himself in Johnny’s mane. Probably looking for comfort. The Courser decided it would be wise to check their equipment before continuing. 

Rations, of course. It didn’t look like he would be able to collect any kind of food continuing forward. But after doing some foraging in the Overgrown Caverns, the rations were looking pretty good. He wasn’t really hungry. Bob on the other hand, seeing the juicy apples rushed down to the bags and buried himself inside. 

- Just don’t eat everything, please.

His family insisted that he take a weapon with him. And he did, his father’s old broadsword. It was heavy and it did start to weigh down on him. He never used it, he didn’t have to. Johnny always thought that the sheer strength of his hind legs would be enough. And it was until now. Glancing at the monsters awaiting them, he started to doubt. Maybe it was good that he didn’t ditched the sword a long time ago. 

He even took a blanket for at least a slight touch of comfort. Looks like it won’t be needed here. Coins, some more trinkets and treasures he found in the caverns. He was doing good. Surprisingly good.