Morning light spilled through the cracked windows of the guildhall, painting the dusty floor in stripes of gold. The three of them moved through the hall in a practiced rhythm—packing bread and dried meat into pouches, checking straps and boots, refilling waterskins.

Viola hummed a jaunty tune under her breath as she tightened the sheath on her hip, eyes shining with anticipation. “Finally, finally, finally…” she muttered, practically bouncing with each step.

Luna, on the other hand, moved silently. She adjusted the fastenings on her cloak, then checked the knife at her belt with a precise tug. Her brow was faintly furrowed, her eyes shadowed with thought.

Ludger noticed. He slung his pack over his shoulder and glanced at her. “You don’t have to come,” he said evenly. “You’ve got your own work. Information, contacts—those matter more right now.”

Luna’s hands stilled for a moment, but she didn’t look up. “I know.”

“Then stay.”

She finally met his eyes. “No. I don’t trust leaving Viola’s safety to you alone. Not in a labyrinth.”

Ludger raised an eyebrow. “Because you think I can’t handle monsters?”

“Because monsters aren’t the only danger down there.” Her voice was quiet but firm. “Traps. Collapses. Other people. Desperation makes adventurers do ugly things. You know that.”

Ludger exhaled slowly, the corner of his mouth twitching. So she’s guessed that too.

He adjusted his armguards, not pressing the point. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t give you the chance to skip this.”

Luna’s expression didn’t change. “Noted.”

Viola spun around, practically glowing. “Are we ready yet?”

Ludger smirked faintly. “Almost. Just remember—this isn’t a sightseeing tour.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, but the excitement in her eyes didn’t dim.

As Ludger buckled the last strap of his pack, a flicker of awareness nagged at him. The guildhall was strangely quiet—no clinking of bottles, no uneven snoring echoing from the back rooms.

He paused by the stairwell and tilted his head, listening. Nothing.

Gaius isn’t snoring.

He stepped to the doorway of the room the drunk had claimed for himself. The door hung half open, the mattress inside bare except for a crumpled blanket. The bottle-strewn floor had been roughly cleared, but the man himself was gone.

Ludger frowned faintly. He knows we’re leaving. Watching, maybe. But no goodbye, no warning.

He straightened, adjusting his armguards. A part of him would’ve been grateful for a few tips—what to avoid, what not to touch, which paths were safe. But he wasn’t planning to dive into the labyrinth’s depths anyway. Just an initial look, nothing more.

Fine. Stay hidden, old man. We’ll handle the place ourselves.

He turned back to the others. Viola was already at the door, humming under her breath, her sword at her hip. Luna stood ready, her pack squared, her eyes still shadowed but her stance steady.

“Let’s go,” Ludger said.

They stepped out into the pale morning light, leaving the empty guild behind.

The city streets were still cool with dawn when they stepped out. Mist clung low to the cobblestones, curling around the ankles of merchants hauling crates and miners trudging toward the pits. Bells rang faintly in the distance, marking the start of another day.

Ludger led the way, pack slung over one shoulder, eyes flicking between alley mouths and rooftops. Viola walked a half-step behind him, humming under her breath, her sword bouncing at her hip with every eager stride. Luna kept to the outside, scanning the crowd with quiet precision, a subtle barrier between them and anyone who came too close.

The further they walked, the sparser the buildings became. Houses gave way to storehouses, storehouses to fenced yards piled with ore and timber. The air grew cooler, fresher, with a faint tang of iron and earth.

Ahead, the jagged outline of the mountains rose, their peaks still veiled in morning mist. At their base, where the last of the city’s walls faded into rocky slopes, a dark cleft opened in the earth: the labyrinth entrance.

Even at this hour, there was movement. Groups of adventurers milled about near the mouth, adjusting gear, murmuring over maps, and lighting enchanted torches. A pair of armored guards leaned on their halberds, keeping a bored watch over the crowd. Miners with hard eyes and pickaxes slung across their backs passed by, heading for the tunnels further up the slope.

Viola’s eyes widened at the sight, excitement flickering across her face. “So that’s it…”

Ludger’s gaze swept the scene, sharp and calculating. Too many people this early. We’ll have to be careful not to get dragged into anyone else’s mess.

Luna’s hand hovered near the small knife at her belt, her expression unreadable.

The labyrinth’s dark mouth waited ahead of them, breathing a cool, damp wind that smelled faintly of stone and metal.

Viola’s steps quickened as soon as she spotted the cavernous mouth of the labyrinth. Her grin widened, eyes sparkling like a kid at a festival. “Come on, Ludger—look at it! We’re finally here!”

She started to rush ahead, sword hand twitching.

Ludger’s voice cut across her excitement, low and sharp. “Hold it.”

She stopped mid-stride, turning back with a pout. “What? We’re not even inside yet—”

“We’re also not the only ones here.” He jerked his chin toward the adventurers huddled near the entrance, checking their gear, discussing maps, counting coins. “If you go charging in like that, you’re going to bump into someone and start a fight before you even see a monster.”

Viola huffed, folding her arms but glancing at the crowd with a little more caution.

“And,” Ludger added, his tone turning dry, “don’t look like a moron in front of them. Walk like you know what you’re doing. Eyes open, chin level. If you look lost or overeager, people will treat you like fresh meat.”

Her pout deepened, but she straightened her shoulders, copying his steady stride. “Fine, fine. I’ll behave…”

Ludger’s smirk flickered. “Good. Save the excitement for when you’re not surrounded by strangers with sharp weapons.”

Luna moved up on Viola’s other side, silent but approving of Ludger’s warning. Together, the three of them began to thread their way toward the labyrinth’s edge, blending with the morning crowd instead of barging through it.

They slipped past the last of the waiting adventurers and reached the shadow of the entrance. A damp, cool breath rolled out of the earth, carrying the smell of stone, iron, and something older—like a forgotten cellar left to rot.

The opening yawned wide enough to swallow a wagon. Rough-cut steps led downward at a steep angle, carved directly into the rock. The walls were jagged and uneven, dark veins of ore glinting faintly where the torchlight reached. Moisture beaded on the stone and dripped in slow, echoing plinks somewhere below.

Viola leaned forward, peering into the dimness. “It just… keeps going down…” Her voice was hushed but tinged with excitement.

Luna’s eyes moved constantly, taking in the slick footing, the narrow ledges, the clusters of adventurers already descending. Her hand hovered near the knife at her belt.

Ludger adjusted his pack and started down the first step, his boots scraping against damp rock. “Watch your footing. These stairs are rough. If you slip here, you won’t stop until you hit bottom.”

The air grew colder as they descended, the daylight behind them shrinking to a pale rectangle. The sound of the city faded, replaced by the low murmur of dripping water and distant clinks of metal from unseen miners or explorers.

Viola’s grip tightened on her sword. “Feels like a whole different world already.”

Ludger’s smirk flickered in the shadows. “That’s because it is. Welcome to the labyrinth.”

The air grew colder and the torchlight dimmer with every step. Drips echoed somewhere below, and the smell of damp stone filled their noses. Ludger slowed his pace just enough for his voice to carry to the other two without drawing attention from the groups ahead.

“Listen up,” he murmured. “Down here, we’re not sightseeing. We move as a unit. I’ll take the front. With these—” he tapped his red-silver armguards “—I can be the wall. Anything comes at us, I’m the one it hits first.”

Viola blinked, then frowned. “Wait, I’m the attacker? Shouldn’t I—”

“Yes. You’re the attacker,” Ludger cut her off calmly. “You hit hard and fast once I’ve pinned something. That’s what you’re good at.”

Viola opened her mouth to protest again, but he kept going. “Luna will back you up if you screw up. She’ll watch your flanks, keep you breathing. Don’t rely on it, but know she’s there.”

Viola’s frown wavered. She glanced at Luna, who walked silently behind them, eyes scanning the shadows. Viola had always known the maid could fight—she’d seen her knock grown men unconscious without blinking—but she didn’t really know how far that skill went. Or what she’d done with Ludger when she wasn’t looking.

“Fine…” Viola muttered at last, gripping her sword hilt tighter. “But don’t think I’m gonna hide behind you all the time.”

Ludger’s smirk flickered in the half-light. “I’m counting on you not to.”

They kept moving, the damp steps leading them deeper, the labyrinth’s breath cool against their faces.

At the bottom of the stairs the air opened up into a sprawling passageway. The corridor ahead was wide enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder, its walls cut from dark, iron-veined rock. Moisture clung to the stone like sweat, glinting where the torchlight touched it.

The path twisted and bent every few dozen meters, curling like a snake so you could never see more than one bend ahead. Shadows pooled thick at each corner. The torches hammered into the walls at regular intervals gave off a steady orange glow, keeping the place bright enough to walk without tripping, but the flicker of their flames cast dancing shapes across the rock that made it feel alive.

Somewhere far off, the clang of a pickaxe echoed and then died. A low draft rolled through the tunnel, carrying the cold smell of metal and damp earth.

Ludger glanced back; another party of four adventurers had just entered the chamber behind them, their voices low but eager. He didn’t like the idea of being hemmed in by strangers on both sides.

“Move,” he murmured.

He stepped forward before the other group could close the distance, boots striking the damp stone in a steady rhythm. His posture shifted subtly—shoulders squared, eyes scanning each turn, every inch of him projecting the kind of confidence that told passersby: we know what we’re doing; don’t crowd us.

Viola and Luna fell into step behind him. Viola’s humming stopped, her grip tightening on her sword as she felt the air change. Luna’s eyes flicked constantly between shadows and corners, already mapping exits and sightlines.

The labyrinth’s wide, torch-lit corridor waited ahead, twisting deeper into the unknown.

The corridor twisted again and then opened into a small junction where the tunnel split three ways. Each passage yawned like a black throat, the torches here spaced farther apart so that the light fell in patchy pools. The air felt heavier, colder.

Ludger slowed, eyes flicking from left to right, weighing which path to take.

A faint metallic scrape echoed above them.

His instincts flared. He didn’t even look up at Luna; there was no time to ask why she hadn’t warned him. He raised his arms, the red-silver armguards gleaming.

With a dry clank an iron elemental dropped from the ceiling. It hadn’t been hiding behind a stalactite—it had been the stalactite. Its body was a lattice of floating rocks and rods of dark iron, hovering in a vaguely humanoid shape. Limbs like elongated shackles hung disjointed from its torso, joints not actually touching but held together by invisible mana. Its “head” was a blocky iron mask with no features except two faintly glowing points of ochre light.

The elemental landed with a heavy crunch, scattering pebbles. A deep grinding hum rose from its core.

So that’s an iron elemental, Ludger thought, setting his feet. Camouflage and ambush. Great.

The glow in its “eyes” brightened. A moment later, chunks of iron splintered off its floating limbs, hardening mid-air into sharp projectiles. With a hiss, it fired them like bullets.

Ludger crossed his forearms. The first volley slammed against his armguards with a ringing clang

, sparks skittering off the red-silver metal. He absorbed the shock, sliding a half step back, teeth clenched. More projectiles followed, hammering at his guard in a staccato rhythm, each one gouging tiny pits into the floor where they missed.

Behind him, Viola sucked in a breath, eyes wide. Luna’s hand hovered near her blade.

Ludger’s eyes stayed locked on the elemental, his voice a low growl. “Stay back. I’ll take the first hit.”

The next wave of iron bullets hissed toward him. He shifted, his armguards catching them one after another, ringing like a blacksmith’s anvil in the torchlit corridor.

Another spray of iron bullets hissed through the air. Ludger twisted his stance, one arm sweeping up. The next projectile rang off his forearm guard with a sharp clang—but this time he didn’t just block. He angled the blow, sending the shard spinning back toward the creature.

The jagged chunk of metal smacked into the elemental’s mask-like head with a dull thunk, making the floating plates shudder and scatter for an instant.

“Viola—now!” Ludger barked.

“Got it!”

Her eyes lit up, and mana flared around her blade. [Weapon Enhancing]. The steel shimmered pale gold, edges keener, her grip steady despite the tremor in her arms.

She lunged forward, boots striking sparks off the stone. The elemental’s glowing eyes flickered, limbs reorienting to fire another volley—but she was already inside its guard.

With a single, powerful swing she brought her sword down in a diagonal arc. The blade sliced through the floating iron plates as if they were paper, the glow of her enhancement leaving a comet-tail streak in the air.

The elemental came apart instantly. Its limbs, no longer bound by invisible mana, clattered to the ground in heavy, hollow chunks. The glowing points in its “head” winked out, and the mask fell with a muted clank.

[Iron Guard +10 XP ]

Viola skidded to a stop, panting, her sword still humming with residual energy. “Ha! Nailed it!”

The dismembered pieces of the iron elemental lay scattered across the corridor like a masterless puppet.

Ludger lowered his arms slowly, scanning the shadows for movement. “Good hit. Stay sharp—there’s always more where that came from.”

Viola grinned, adrenaline still bright in her eyes, and tightened her grip on the blade.

Luna moved up to them silently, her gaze flicking over the fallen plates, her expression unreadable. The torchlight flickered over the scattered iron as the labyrinth breathed its cool, damp wind around them.

As the echo of the fight faded, the scattered pieces of the iron elemental began to dull. The once-shining plates and rods lost their metallic gleam, their edges softening as if the life had been bled out of them. Within seconds they looked less like forged iron and more like ordinary chunks of rock flecked with dark rust.

Only one piece still stood out—a small lump at the exact center of where the creature’s torso had been. It gleamed faintly under the torchlight, a nugget of true ore pulsing with a residue of mana, the only part that hadn’t gone dull.

Ludger crouched beside the pile, red-silver armguards still faintly glowing. He didn’t bother with a careful prod. Instead he snapped his fists forward in a rapid flurry, striking the dull plates around the nugget. Each punch cracked and crumbled the lifeless shells with ease, shards scattering across the stone floor.

Aside from the core, all the remaining “metal” had gone soft, breaking apart like chalk under his blows.

He picked up the glowing nugget between two fingers, turning it over. “So that’s the heart,” he muttered. “Everything else was just a shell.”

Viola peered over his shoulder, eyes wide. “Looks like normal rocks now… except that.”

Ludger tucked the small core into a pouch at his belt, still studying the broken remains. Not just metal. Mana-bound stone disguised as iron… until you kill it.

Luna stood a little back, scanning the shadows beyond the junction. “Be careful. Elementals like these rarely roam alone.”

Ludger straightened, dusting off his armguards. “Good to know.” He glanced at Viola. “Stay ready. We’re not done yet.”

The labyrinth’s cool breath washed over them again, torchlight flickering across the shattered pieces as they prepared to move deeper in.

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