Citrine was still blindly running when a voice called out to her. 

"Hey! Are you in danger?" 

"Yes! I think so! I don't know!" She replied, coming to a dusty, skidding halt. She looked around wildly for the voice and found, thankfully, another courser. He was a pale brown and brindled - had she heard of an adventurer like this before? Maybe. She couldn't think straight. 

"Come on," he called, beckoning her toward some kind of doorway. "You can come with me this way. I'll keep you safe for a while."

That sounded almost threatening, but Citrine would take another courser over literally anything else in this dungeon at this point. She approached him and bowed her head thankfully. "Okay. Thank you," she replied, a little breathless from her terror.

He offered her a mild, concerned smile in return and lead her through the doorway. 

The otherside was scorching. The air immediately went from pleasant tropical humidity to unbearable desert heat. Citrine blinked as her eyes adjusted to the new sensations and light. Pockets of earth glowed with molten rock, while cracks in the walls erupted with plumes of dusty, hot smoke. It was like she'd entered another world. "Where are we?"

The courser grinned. "Level two. The Earthen Furnace. First time?" 

Citrine's eye widened and she froze. "This is my first time in a dungeon! We're on level two?" Oh god. She was going to die here, for sure. There was no way she was ready to be here. 

"Hey, hey," the other courser approached her until he took up all of her vision, blocking out the hellscape they'd entered. "I'm here. You're gonna be okay. We'll just take a quick look around until you feel-"

An echoing, horrific bark cut him off. First it was just one, then it cascaded into a symphony of horrible, monstrous barks and howls in the distance. But they were getting closer. 

The other courser's face grew pinched. "You know what? I was wrong. I shouldn't have brought you here. We need to get back - fast." 

"What!" Citrine was still frozen in the spot. The barks grew ever nearer, fast. She tilted her head slightly and caught a glimpse of some kind of terrible dog cresting over a rock formation. It pulsed with an otherworldly glow from within. It almost looked like its bones were on fire. 

"Whattheheckisthat?" She squeaked. 

"It's a hellhound. We need to go. NOW!" The courser shoved her back toward the door they'd come in from, forcing her legs to start working. She didn't look behind him again, just turned and followed his lead. She felt hot breath on her heals as the barks became deafeningly loud, but she didn't dare look back for fear it would trip her up. 

They soared through the doorway, back into the sticky humid air of the level above, but neither of them stopped there, even as the barking grew fainter. There was just the sound of their heavy breathing and their hooves slamming against stone. It felt like hours until the doorway that would lead them out of the dungeon appeared, though it was probably only minutes. Neither horse stopped until the cool night air hit them and started to wick the sweat from their hides. 

They stood in silence under the light of the moon, panting from exhaustion and adrenaline combined. The other courser spoke first, "Well, you survived your first dive." There was humor in his voice, but also uncertainty. 

Citrine sat with that a moment. She had survived. It had been terrifying, and she had been in mortal danger, but she'd survived. She'd done everything she was supposed to in order to keep herself safe, even if she had needed some help in the end. 

"Yeah," She said finally, nodding. "Maybe I can do this."

"The first time is always the worst," he said. "You got this. Maybe I'll see you on level two again, when you're ready." He flashed her a charming smile before turning to walk into the night.

Citrine watched him go, before realizing her mistake. "Wait! WAIT! What's your name?"

The courser turned back, shouting, "Logue!"

"Oh my god." She'd adventured with Logue! One of the most popular upcoming adventurers. "I'm... I'm Citrine!" She shouted back. 

"See you soon, Citrine!"

She felt like fainting. She might have gone a little woozy from the mix of fear, adrenaline, and star-strickenness. Thankfully, he was too far away to notice. 

She made her way back to her family's shop on cloud nine, falling into a puddle of exhausted limbs in her bed. She'd done it, and an adventurer knew her name! She could do this!