Found at Blazing Star

After a night‑long downpour, the rough mining camp of Blazing Star greets a gray morning, its streets cleaned of dust by the rain. Cass Beard awakens early to a leaking roof and soggy blankets, his fire refusing to spark. While trekking the wet road he spots a flash in a puddle—a modest gold ring engraved with his own nickname, “Cass.” The sudden find feels like a small omen amid the hardship of daily prospecting.

He tucks the ring into his pocket and asks his fellow miners if anyone has lost such a piece. Their replies are a mix of exaggerated confessions and nervous jokes, each speculation turning the simple curiosity into a quiet accusation. Suspicion settles over Cass like the morning fog, and the metal’s mystery begins to stir his imagination, hinting that even a modest token can shift the rhythm of life in the camp.