Martzel trotted through the Earthen Furnace, accompanied by his crow, Euphemia, who flew just in front of him. 

Martzel was following up on clues scouted by one of the guild’s apprentices as to the location of an ancient bracelet. He was told to look for a wall of engravings in this part of the dungeon, as well as a forge. He was also told to keep wary of hellhounds, which apparently frequented this area. 

Euphemia turned off the path and flew out over the magma, apparently spotting something on a small stone island nearby, unreachable to Coursers. Martzel stopped to wait for her, watching as she landed on the stone and picked up something shiny. Then she returned to Martzel, landing on the path in front of him, showing off what she had found - a small ring of golden metal, the type that was found on the fingers of humanoids. Such a thing was of little practical use to Coursers, but could be valuable as an artifact or to reclaim the metal for use in something else.

“Good find,” Martzel said to Euphemia, who squawked proudly and fluttered up to Martzel’s shoulders to drop the ring in one of his bags. Then they continued.

They reached an archway leading into the next chamber, but before they could reach it, a huge pillar of flame suddenly rose up in front of them. Martzel reared back, startled. 

When the flame died down a bit, he could see a humanoid figure shrouded in a cloak. It was like none of the spirits he had seen in the dungeon thus far, and yet it had to be one, because what else could it be? It was consumed with fire but made no screams, no sound at all save for the flame crackling. Martzel stared in horror as the entity held out charred and blistered hands to him, begging him for something. He struggled to think for a moment.

“The ring,” He said after a moment, to no one. Then he lowered his head to rummage in his bag for the ring Euphemia had found. He retrieved it, and after a moment of hesitation, carefully placed the ring in the figure’s outstretched hands. 

The figure vanished immediately, leaving behind an ashy smudge on the floor, and the path ahead safely opened. Martzel looked around for a moment, and Euphemia ruffled her feathers, and then they were off again.