Life in Grimfang Deep settled into a strange, tense routine for Lunrik. Cycles were spent divided between enduring further, slightly less explosive, calibration sessions for the burgeoning Resonance Disruptor project in Borgrum's workshop, and the enforced solitude of his cell. His interactions with Borgrum became grudgingly functional, focused on the technical challenges of stabilizing and focusing the 'harmonic scream' captured from Lunrik's resonance. The old Artificer remained gruff and suspicious, but his scientific curiosity and obsession with the Disruptor project often overrode his prejudice, leading to intense, jargon-filled discussions about harmonic braiding, energy dampening, and counter-frequency modulation.
Flint Gearspark remained an eager, if sometimes overly talkative, presence during the workshop sessions. He treated Lunrik less like a dangerous anomaly and more like a fascinating, walking resonance generator, constantly taking readings, suggesting modifications, and occasionally lapsing back into awkward inquiries about Kaelith.
"Master Borgrum says the multi-phase distributor design is stabilizing the primary cascade!" Flint reported excitedly one cycle, holding up a newly forged crystalline component pulsing with faint, contained energy. "We might actually be able to create a focused disruption pulse soon! Imagine, Huntress Kaelith could…" He caught himself, blushing. "Uh, I mean, the potential applications against hunter technology are significant!"
Lunrik offered a noncommittal grunt, his thoughts elsewhere. While the progress on the Disruptor was potentially vital, his primary concern remained Kaelith. Days, perhaps weeks, had passed since she'd descended into the Lower Deeps with Eryndor and the Vault Sentinel escort. The official reports remained maddeningly vague: "Mission proceeding. Asset transfer nearing completion. Secure protocols maintained." No details. No confirmation of her safety beyond the initial survival after the Lurker/hunter ambush.
He pressed Borgrum and even Gyra (during brief, mandatory check-ins regarding his 'resonance stability') for more information, but was met with stonewalling or jurisdictional redirection. Kaelith's mission fell under the direct purview of High Loremaster Thrain and the Vault security protocols. Borin was focused on surface defense against renewed Ashfang probes near the glacier. Gyra was consumed by analyzing the hunter tech and overseeing Borgrum's Disruptor progress. Kaelith, it seemed, was deliberately isolated, her fate hidden behind layers of dwarven secrecy.
The lack of news frayed Lunrik's nerves raw. He found it increasingly difficult to focus during Borgrum's tests, the constant worry for Kaelith a gnawing distraction. Alaric's ghost, sensing his vulnerability, whispered insidious doubts: She's a liability. The dwarves know it. Expendable once her task is done. Focus on your own survival, your own power. Lunrik fought the thoughts down, clinging fiercely to his faith in Kaelith's strength and resilience, but the isolation and uncertainty were potent poisons.
One cycle, during a 'rest' period in his cell, the door hissed open unexpectedly. It wasn't Borgrum, Gyra, Flint, or the wardens. It was Scout Fendril. He slipped inside quickly, letting the door seal behind him, his movements silent, economical as always. His expression was neutral, but his eyes held a subtle urgency.
"Trouble?" Lunrik asked immediately, sitting up on the slab.
"Not immediate," Fendril replied quietly, his voice low. "But… developments. I have completed my debriefing regarding the Lower Deeps reconnaissance. My report corroborated Korgul's account and your own observations regarding the hunters' presence and Kaelith's actions." He paused. "High Loremaster Thrain has officially classified the hunter infiltration as a Level Amber security threat. Internal defenses have been heightened. But he remains… reluctant… to authorize further direct action within the Lower Deeps or the Vault Sector itself, citing containment protocols and the risk of further destabilization."
"So Kaelith is still down there, potentially near active hunters, and Thrain is focused on containment?" Lunrik felt a surge of anger.
"Thrain balances risks on a scale you cannot comprehend, werewolf," Fendril stated calmly, though not unsympathetically. "The Vault holds secrets and energies that could unravel Grimfang if breached or disturbed improperly. He prioritizes that above all else." He hesitated, then seemed to make a decision, perhaps prompted by his own code or his brief alliance with Lunrik on the surface. "However… Korgul regained full consciousness briefly during medical assessment. Before being placed under restricted observation, he provided a more detailed account of the final moments before contact was lost."
Lunrik leaned forward intently. "What did he say?"
"He confirmed Kaelith drew the hunters away deliberately," Fendril reported, his voice barely above a whisper. "Led them deeper into the ancient service conduits. But he also mentioned something else. Just before the hunters phased in, during the peak of the Lurker attack, Eryndor Frostmane – in his terror – seemed to inadvertently trigger something. Korgul described a flash of light, a surge of energy emanating from the Frostmane, momentarily repelling the nearest Lurkers."
Lunrik stared at him. Eryndor? Unleashing energy? "Are you certain? He was catatonic."
"Korgul was certain," Fendril affirmed. "He described it as uncontrolled, instinctual – a flare of raw, defensive energy linked to the Banehallow resonance, perhaps triggered by extreme fear and proximity to the Lurkers and the hunters' antagonistic frequency. It was brief, chaotic, but potent enough to affect the Lurkers."
A flare of Banehallow energy from Eryndor? It seemed impossible, given his terrified state. Unless… unless the curse, the corrupted blessing, reacted defensively on its own, even when the host was overwhelmed? Like Lunrik's own 'harmonic scream', but uncontrolled?
"Does Thrain know this?" Lunrik asked urgently.
Fendril nodded grimly. "He does. And it has… complicated his assessment of the Frostmane asset. An heir capable of involuntary, uncontrolled energy bursts, possessing knowledge of a pass keyed to his bloodline, now secured near the most sensitive Vaults in Grimfang Deep…"
"They see him as a potential bomb," Lunrik realized with dawning horror.
"Precisely," Fendril confirmed. "Which reinforces Thrain's insistence on absolute containment and non-interference, regardless of Kaelith's status." He paused again, then leaned closer. "But Korgul mentioned one other detail. The passage Kaelith led the hunters into… it doesn't just lead deeper. According to fragmented Vault Sector schematics Korgul accessed during his escort briefing, that specific ancient conduit eventually intersects with auxiliary access tunnels leading back towards… the Kinetics Guild research levels. Including the sector containing Master Gyra's primary analysis labs."
Lunrik's mind raced. Kaelith, pursued by hunters capable of phasing, heading unknowingly towards tunnels that connected back to Gyra's labs? Where Gyra was actively analyzing hunter tech and Lunrik's own resonance? Was it possible Kaelith could find her way back? Or, more terrifyingly, were the hunters deliberately being led towards Gyra's research, towards Lunrik himself?
"Is Gyra aware of this potential intersection?" Lunrik asked, his voice tight.
"Unlikely," Fendril surmised. "Those conduits are ancient, officially sealed, not on standard schematics. Only deep archive researchers like the Loremasters, or specialists like Vault Sentinels or Deep Scouts, would know of their existence. Korgul likely only mentioned it in his delirium before being restricted." He looked pointedly at Lunrik. "Knowledge Thrain might prefer remain… contained."
Fendril was taking a significant risk sharing this. Why? Loyalty to Kaelith after she saved Korgul? Distrust of Thrain's calculations? Or something else?
"Why are you telling me this, Fendril?" Lunrik asked directly.
The dwarf scout hesitated, his gaze shifting momentarily towards the cell door before meeting Lunrik's eyes again. "Borgrum Coghand," he said quietly. "He may be an eccentric outcast, but he is still Guild. He remembers the Schism, the Purifiers. He understands the dangers of unchecked resonance manipulation better than Thrain or Gyra perhaps realize. He believes the hunters represent an ancient threat reborn, one that requires… unconventional countermeasures." He tapped the spot where the Resonance Key would be on Lunrik's belt. "And he believes you are central to that countermeasure."
He leaned closer still. "If Kaelith, or the hunters pursuing her, emerge near Gyra's labs… the situation could escalate uncontrollably. Gyra might attempt capture. The hunters might target you directly. Borgrum believes having the Resonance Key prototype ready, functional, and in your hands, might be Grimfang's only defense against their phasing tech and targeted disruption."
"He wants me ready?" Lunrik clarified.
"He wants the Key ready," Fendril corrected. "And you are the only one who can currently wield it." He straightened up, his neutral scout mask returning. "Consider this… an unofficial status update. Maintain readiness. Cooperate with Coghand's work. Events may accelerate."
Without another word, Fendril slipped out of the cell as silently as he had arrived, leaving Lunrik alone with the echo of his words and the heavy weight of impending crisis. Kaelith was alive, but hunted, potentially heading towards him. Eryndor possessed an uncontrolled power linked to their curse. The hunters might be deliberately maneuvering towards the labs. And Borgrum, the eccentric artificer, seemed to be playing his own game, preparing Lunrik and his experimental weapon for a confrontation Thrain might be trying desperately to avoid. The whispers in the stone were becoming shouts, echoing with the resonance of blood, technology, and ancient, awakening nightmares.