Black Fog in the Mine
He was just pretending to be asleep.
Shiba couldn't have been mistaken. Taylor had bolted upright the instant they reached their destination and stepped off the train.
"Is this the countryside?"
That was Taylor's first words as he looked around from the hyperloop station.
The city of Lynx they'd arrived in barely had a population over 50,000. Most buildings were low-rise, and the streets were quiet and empty.
It was nothing like Maze City, where millions jostled for space. Skyscrapers towered everywhere, and crowds surged endlessly—no place compared to it except other labyrinth cities.
While Allen pondered ways to crack the hyperloop's security, Shiba subtly put some distance between them and sidled up to Taylor.
"It's near Maze City, but you've never been here?"
"Over 1,500 km away—'nearby' my ass... Saldos Federation's just too damn big. On another continent, it'd cross several countries. And with the labyrinth right there in Maze City, who has time to waste on a place like this?"
"Because there's a whole other world waiting there."
Allen, having failed at breaching security, voiced his agreement.
"Weren't you gonna scout what runes and circuits they use?"
"To do that, I'd have to wreck their firewall and security setup. Saldos Federation would hunt me down."
"Too bad, but what can ya do."
"Hmm... maybe I need more hacking practice?"
Taylor shook his head at Allen, who wasn't giving up but veering into dangerous territory. If left alone, he'd probably actually try it, so Taylor deliberately changed the subject.
"See this? I recorded footage inside the memory modifier. No backing out this time—you're upgrading me first, no question."
"Brother..."
"What now?"
"Your heart's too narrow. You told Brother Allen to handle it first since the budget's tight, so why go back on that...?"
"A man's heart is like a reed in the wind."
"Then starting today, let's study Mother Nun's scriptures together and spend time in mental cultivation."
As their nonsense festival raged on, a dwarf in a suit approached. Unlike typical dwarves, he had a short beard reaching only to his chest and striking chocolate-brown skin.
"Hello. I've come to escort you."
The dwarf's eyes glowed blue. He must have compared photos from Rolf with their appearances.
The dwarf led Allen to a truck. Lynx hopped lightly onto the cargo bed, and the box fitted with spider legs instead of endless tracks boarded effortlessly.
"You all seem to get along well. No worries about teamwork, then."
"Can you tell us what this is about?"
Allen asked from the passenger seat, but the dwarf shook his head.
"I'm just a regular employee. I don't know the details myself."
With the guide clamming up, Allen naturally turned his gaze out the window. The White Mountains, eternally capped with snow, swallowed the sun.
The sun finished its final task of painting the white snow and ice red, then retired. Darkness fell over the entire city in an instant. Moments later, streetlights flickered on all at once, illuminating everything.
Unlike Maze City, perpetually gridlocked, Lynx's roads were serene. With no traffic, they sped through even at a few signals.
Even amid the blurring scenery, Allen caught every expression on the faces of passersby.
Lynx's vibe?
Their faces were bright, their movements relaxed. The polar opposite of Maze City's citizens, always rushing and seething with frustration.
What's the difference? Population density? Geography? Noise? Crime rate?
Several hypotheses swirled in Allen's mind, but he couldn't settle on one.
As he pondered deeply, the dwarf's voice reached his ears.
"Compared to Maze City, it's a boring town. Not sure if it'll suit an explorer like you."
"The scenery is nice, and people look happy. It's a good city."
"Haha, that's why I like it here. Being able to see the White Mountains from anywhere is a huge plus."
Allen checked Shiba's expression in the rearview mirror. With dwarf blood that loved mountains, a smile refused to leave his face too.
The truck, weaving through the city center, arrived at a five-story hotel on the outskirts. It wasn't particularly luxurious.
"Are the others we'll be working with staying here too?"
"They've each found separate lodgings. Some have guides like me attached. See you tomorrow, then."
The guide escorted them to their room, handed over a terminal, and left.
Taylor, perched on the bed, whispered the moment the door closed.
"We came 'cause the pay's fat, but there's too many secrets. Splitting us up to stay separately is suspicious as hell..."
"If it's too weird, should we bail? We took a small deposit, so penalty fees won't hurt."
"Nah, no need. I pretty much get what this is about."
Taylor set the mood, and even Shiba, who'd been admiring the White Mountains cloaked in darkness, perked up.
"Ruins, right?"
"Shouldn't we report it to the authorities?"
"Sounds fun."
Taylor savored their polar-opposite reactions before adding more.
"Report it, and an investigation team shows up, right? Mine shuts down—who compensates for that? Info leaks everywhere, and then you get uninvited guests swarming."
"More problems than I thought."
Trading words with Shiba, Taylor glanced at Allen. Far more interested in his new toy, the powersuit, Allen was pouring all his focus there.
"Allen, you're in on this too."
"I'll just listen."
He still couldn't tear his eyes from the powersuit, but Taylor knew part of Allen's mind was allocated here now—one of his busy mechanical arms had paused.
It was still bizarre. How was his brain wired to multitask like breathing?
"Where was I?"
"Brother, is your brain health flashing red?"
"Tch!"
"Ruins."
"Right, got there. Rolf's cousin in mining gets greedy too. Thinks, 'Handle it quiet, all the treasure's mine.' Or maybe hired extra hands 'cause of rivals. We'll know the real deal when we meet the boss, but looking at how things are going, doubt he'll spill everything."
Finishing up, Taylor headed to the shower. Only after the sound of running water did Shiba ask Allen.
"Aren't you worried about Brother?"
"Worried? If it's real ruins, we'll find tons of amazing stuff—I'm excited, actually."
Wrong person to ask. Not just Allen—most labyrinth explorers would react the same. They were thrill-seekers starved for discovery.
*
The next day, yesterday's guide knocked on the door.
"Sleep off the fatigue? Before we head out, please sign the nondisclosure agreement."
The document he handed over was a magically enforced contract and NDA. Taylor startled at the account details after signing.
"Advance is half my recent expedition haul."
"The rest comes in a lump sum after the job. Plus extra rewards as per the contract, so please give it your all."
Allen and Shiba signed too, and they boarded yesterday's truck again. Allen took shotgun once more.
As the truck hit the road, the guide spoke up.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Hashy, cousin to Rolf, who recommended you."
"Family business, huh."
"Slightly different concept. Our company runs on blood ties, so in a way, all employees are family owners."
Perfect setup for keeping mouths shut. Dwarf kinship was tighter than anything, and they'd throw themselves into the fire for family loyalty.
"As you might've guessed, we hired you because of ruins found in the mine. We tried handling it with company muscle alone at first, but..."
"Lost a bunch of kin, I bet."
Hashy bit his lip slightly at Taylor's bullseye.
"Yes. Couldn't even recover the bodies, but the losses were too great to bury it. So we brought in outside help."
"What've you figured out so far?"
"Multiple entrances. Go in, don't come back. Even tied ropes get cleanly severed. That's it."
Allen nodded. Why else couldn't they retrieve bodies? No one returned—it was obvious.
In the heavy silence, the truck reached the mine entrance. Cars were parked, and groups headed in.
Hashy, grabbing his gear, pointed them out.
"One guide per party."
They were monitors, but no one complained. The pay softened them up, and Hashy's gear was top-notch too.
No time to sightsee—they entered the tunnel. Hot sunlight vanished, replaced by cool air and darkness welcoming Allen.
Arch-shaped supports held mana lamps, making it easy to see. Far simpler than fog-filled caves.
Feeling almost at home, Allen spotted an elevator ahead. Hashy hit the button, and the doors opened.
"Hop in."
"How deep?"
"1 km."
"We ride this down a full kilometer?"
"Didn't dig that far due to collapse risks. You'll switch elevators a few times instead."
Everyone boarded, and the iron box creaked downward. Peering into intermediate shafts painted the picture of how they'd tunneled.
Cross-section would look like fish bones.
The repetitive elevators and similar tunnels brought boredom fast.
Taylor, arriving at the lowest level, yawned hugely while walking the tunnel—then froze mid-yawn.
"Brother, did your jaw dislocate?"
Taylor slowly closed his mouth, eyes widening as he pointed ahead. Shiba looked and reacted the same.
Black fog, the kind only found in labyrinths, swirled there. Not spilling out—just churning inside a perfectly round hole.
Hashy turned and explained.
"That's why we asked Rolf for explorers too, not just mercs. Depth 3 puts you in a whole different league from the riffraff."
End
Black fog completely blocks vision. Headlamps or torches can push it back, but only temporarily.
When the light fades, it creeps back like it was never gone, filling the space. Surrounded, you can't even see your own hands—true blindness.
They say losing one sense sharpens the others, but it doesn't happen instantly. Even then, hearing can't fully replace sight.
Its reliability made militaries and defense corps scramble to weaponize labyrinth fog. All for naught—even famed mages couldn't analyze it.
That ominous presence, visible in only one place, loomed before them. Even Taylor, decades in the labyrinth grind, couldn't close his mouth.
"No way... what the hell..."
"You see the fog too, Brother? I thought the holy water I spilled yesterday damaged your optic nerves."
"What'd you do, pour alcohol in his eyes?"
As the two plunged into confusion, Allen eyed Hashy.
"Need more details. Splitting people means multiple entrances? Can't we just peek in and come right back?"
"We were mining as usual when fog gates popped up everywhere, like they planned it. Second question's a 'yes' too. Told them scout the interior and return—no word since."
There was reason for the secrecy and gathering from all over. They'd planned to handle it with kin power, but casualties mounted, forcing a pivot.
Handing it to a big outfit like Breaker would've been easier, but dwarf nature's