Mara trudged behind Fraxx, still trembling with the rush of panic and surprise that had shaken her just moments earlier. Her legs felt like jelly as they made their way through the dark tunnels of Sanctum, yet something else fluttered in her chest—an intense exhilaration that refused to let go. The ratman had said she had the gift of Thaumaturgy, a secret ability that allowed her thoughts to echo in someone else's mind. She tried to dismiss it, but a part of her couldn't help but be astounded. It was so surreal; just an hour ago, she was bawling about her own uselessness, and now Fraxx was telling her she had powers that even the great Prophet Jun'Ei had once possessed.

The deeper they went, the more Mara noticed that the familiar farm caverns of the Hopla were far behind them. In fact, she recognized fewer and fewer landmarks with every twist and turn.

"Mr. Fraxx," she said timidly, breaking the silence. "This… this isn't the way back to the farm. Where are we going?"

Fraxx paused just long enough for his hooded silhouette to become visible in the soft glow of a single, dying lantern. His whiskers twitched behind the strange mask still strapped to his snout. "We are taking a sssshortcut, Hopla girl," he replied, his sibilant tone echoing off the tunnel walls. "No need to be worrying."

The notion didn't comfort her much, but Mara found it oddly difficult to argue. Whether it was the aftershocks of nearly dying or some odd sense of trust that Fraxx had inspired by saving her life, she couldn't tell. She simply followed, rubbing her arms in the chilly air.

After several more minutes of navigating tight corridors, Fraxx halted in front of what appeared to be a dead end: a flat, metallic wall that jutted out from the earthen rock. Mara's eyes widened at the sight. Metal structures in Sanctum were rare, usually built by talented blacksmiths or crafters from faraway lands. But here, the entire barrier looked like it was part of something bigger—some mechanism built right into the rock.

Fraxx tapped a peculiar rhythm on the wall with his clawed fingers: three raps, a pause, then two more. For a moment, nothing happened. Mara shifted nervously on her small feet. Then, a muffled clank came from inside the barrier. A seam appeared, and the metal slid back just enough to reveal a broad-shouldered figure on the other side.

"Ye're late, Fraxx," the figure growled in a thick accent. "Told ye not tae linger in those deeper tunnels. Lord knows what beasties lie in wait."

The speaker was the badger-hybrid blacksmith, Borlor, sporting coarse fur and broad, muscled arms. A battered workman's hat sat atop his head, slightly askew, and he gave a respectful tip of it to Mara. "And who's this wee lass ye've brought? Aren't you one of Fauna's, little lady? Miss Mara?"

Mara nodded, still a bit shell-shocked. "H-hello, Mr. Borlor," she managed, her voice wobbling. She recognized him from occasional visits to the farm, though she'd never spoken to him personally. He seemed different now, more imposing, framed by the mechanical barrier behind him. Ever since he'd forged the Archon's powerful new weapon, all of Sanctum regarded him with no small degree of reverence.

Borlor jerked his head for them to come through. Once Fraxx and Mara stepped inside, he tapped a lever set into the wall. The metal door rumbled in response, sliding back into place, seamless from the other side. They were in a wide tunnel that had been painstakingly reinforced with struts of shining adamantium, an incredibly hard metal that reflected even the faintest light.

"How's the building coming along?" Fraxx asked casually, pointing to the new tunnel supports. Mara, meanwhile, gawked at the craftsmanship that surrounded her. She couldn't recall ever seeing so much metal in one place, especially not adamantium.

Borlor rubbed his chin with a leather-gloved paw. "It's comin' along grand, ratman. This particular stretch is near done. Soon enough, we'll have a network runnin' through all major sections o' Sanctum—a boon for safe travel, mind ye, but also vital for yer… experiments." He shot Fraxx a knowing look. Then, turning to Mara, he said more gently, "Ye see, lass, the plan is tae build tunnels that can be sealed off at a moment's notice. If the Greycloaks or some other enemy tries tae force their way through, we can close the walls behind 'em, flood the area with Fraxx's poisons"—his muzzle curled into a grin—"and trap them like rats in a cage, beggin' yer pardon, Fraxx."

Fraxx merely clicked his tongue, unconcerned. "Apology accepted. We are in agreement that thessse defensssive measssuressss will be vital." He then gestured deeper into the tunnel. "We need to be ready for war, assss the Archon commanded."

"As he commanded," Borlor nodded. "He's been fighting the good fight up there. Least we can do is be ready if the war comes here."

At the mention of war, Mara's stomach did a nervous flip. She knew the bad humans were still out there, even if their leaders were gone. She knew Miss Fauna had left to help the Archon with missions far beyond the safety of Sanctum. But thinking about it still made her chest tighten. The threat was real and terrifying, and she was just a small Hopla with negligible magic. Or so she'd always assumed.

Borlor continued. "Aye, the new arrivals've been a boon, too. The Drytchlings from the forest o' Triant arrived a fortnight ago, and they've lent their skill in shapin' wood and fungus-based material. And see here—" He pointed to a newly fitted strut that gleamed with an emerald sheen. "They can fuse living matter with stone an' metal, givin' us an even stronger foundation. Work goes faster wi' them at it. They brought manpower an' all sorts o' materials we never had in these caves before."

Mara listened, enthralled yet uneasy. Images of the farmland she knew—where gentle Hopla folks grew Mooncarrot and sang songs at dusk—clashed with these harsh realities. Sanctum was changing, preparing for a confrontation that could tear it apart. And she was seeing corners of it she'd never dreamed existed.

"So," Borlor said, turning to Fraxx, "what's this little lass doin' all the way out here? You goin' tae show her the rest of our wee operation?"

Fraxx's whiskers twitched, and his beady eyes glimmered with excitement. "Yessss. The Hopla girl has ssspecial talents. She showed them to me jussst a moment ago. She is sssomewhat of a budding Thaumaturge."

Borlor's bushy eyebrows shot up. "Thaumaturge, ye say? Well, by my hammer." He turned a warm smile to Mara. "Ye're full of surprises, Miss Mara. That's not a skill ye see every day. Most folk can go their whole lives and never meet a mind-speaker."

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Mara's cheeks burned. She suddenly became fascinated with the tips of her toes. "I… I only learned about it just now," she admitted quietly, her voice echoing in the metal-encased space. "I didn't… didn't know what I was doing. I still don't."

Fraxx placed a clawed hand on her shoulder, which she flinched at initially before settling. "All the more reason for you to ssssee the sssights, Hopla girl." He glanced at Borlor. "Let usss show her the training ground."

Borlor nodded and started forward. "Aye, this way, lass. But mind ye—things can get rowdy there."

They walked for another stretch in relative silence. Now and then, Borlor would tap a series of levers or rattle off instructions in a thick Scottish brogue to passing workers—most of them hybrids of different species. Mara saw a pair of lizard-kin welding plating to the tunnel's ceiling, their tails swaying with each spark of their torches. She saw a group of Drytchlings—thin, tall figures with bark-like skin—carrying crates of fungus-laden soil. The deeper they went, the more chaotic everything seemed, as though they were nearing the heart of a secret project.

Finally, they came to a large staging area. The space opened up into a wide cavern lit by a cluster of glowstone lanterns. Steel cages lined the walls, and behind the iron bars were creatures of all shapes and sizes. Some hissed, some moaned, some simply sulked in corners. Mara recognized none of them, though some faintly resembled the Umbral Stalker that had nearly eaten her. A wave of cold apprehension washed over her.

"Scary, are they not?" Fraxx said, noting her tense posture. "You are ssseeing the raw might of Sanctum's future. Once upon a time, the Archon and his companionssss delved into these caverns to face monsssters and claim treasssures. Now, we are reversing the process… using the Delves and its beasts for our own purposssess."

"Delves Ethan and his party once ventured," Borlor added with a nod. "We ventured deeper after them, captured what we could, an' dragged these beasties back here. Granted, we cannae exactly keep them docile all the time. That's the next step—training them, or breakin' them in, if we must, so that if the Grey Cloaks want a fight, they'll get more than they bargained for."

Mara approached one cage, hearing the low growl of a reptilian beast whose breath rattled in its throat. She took a step back involuntarily. Her heart pounded. These animals—these monsters—were clearly dangerous. Could they really be controlled? And if so, how?

Borlor answered the question as if reading her thoughts. "We're strugglin' to keep them in check, lass," he said ruefully. "There's no single collar or chain that'll hold all of these creatures. Different temperament, different magic. We're tryin' a mix of Fraxx's potions an' me own contraptions, but progress is slow."

Mara glanced to Fraxx. He wore an excited grin, as though the challenge of taming these creatures was the best puzzle in the world. "We will find a way. Once we do, Sanctum will be unassssailable," he said with fervor.

Suddenly, a roar boomed from the largest cage at the far end of the chamber. Mara's ears perked up, and her breath caught in her throat. She saw a towering figure standing on two thick, hooved legs. Its upper body was that of a powerfully built humanoid, covered with coarse fur and crowned with a bull-like head and massive horns. Even from a distance, she could feel its anger pulsing in the air.

"That's a Tauron," Borlor muttered, crossing his arms. "Particularly angry, that one. Killed three of my men afore we got it in the cage. Snapped the collar we tried tae fix on it, like it was made of straw."

Fraxx sniffed. "We have not yet found a suitable approach for the Tauron," he said curtly. "It is too sssmart to be sssubdued by primal luresss, and too strong for typical chainsss. Only sssedation keepsss it calm, for now."

Mara nodded, her eyes glued to the Tauron's slow, furious pacing within its cage. She felt a strange pull in her chest. Her feet carried her closer before she could second-guess the impulse. She heard Borlor's heavy footsteps behind her and Fraxx's soft hiss of caution, but for some reason, she kept going, almost as if she were in a trance.

"Careful, lass!" Borlor called urgently. "That's no docile puppy!"

But Mara barely heard him. She was fixated on the Tauron's hot, labored breaths. The creature's nostrils flared in agitation. It let out another deep roar, slamming a fist into the bars, causing metal to groan alarmingly. A part of her mind screamed to turn and run, but another part whispered that this was her moment—to see if the flicker of magic inside her could reach beyond normal spells.

She stepped right up to the bars. Almost instantly, the Tauron lunged forward with a bellow. Her heart leapt, but she didn't flinch. She reached her hand through the gap in the cage, ignoring Borlor's cry of alarm. The Tauron's eyes, wild and bloodshot, fixed on her. Slobber hung from its jaws. It raised one giant hand, muscles trembling with lethal tension… then froze.

Mara's hand, tiny and trembling, hovered near the Tauron's muzzle. An electric hush fell over the chamber. She could feel her pulse in her ears, hear her breathing rasp in her throat. The Tauron gave a snort that rattled the cage. Mara thought of the gentle Hopla farmland, of Miss Fauna's supportive presence, of everything she once loved. She let that warmth pulse through her.

You're just like me, aren't you? She asked it. You don't have a family. You don't have friends. But you're not alone.

Slowly, oh-so-slowly, the Tauron dipped its huge head. Mara's fingertips touched the creature's nose. The coarse fur felt like steel wires at first, but beneath it she felt living warmth. She shut her eyes. Her thoughts echoed in the back of her skull, as though searching for a place to go.

I mean you no harm, she willed inwardly, imagining the message crossing the space between their bodies. We are alike, lost and afraid…

The Tauron let out one final heave of breath, then sank to its knees with a loud clank of chains. Its head bowed, horns scraping the floor in submission. Mara's mouth fell open in wonder.

Behind her, Fraxx and Borlor stood slack-jawed. Borlor's accent seemed to tangle in his throat. "B-by me ancestors, did ye see what she just did?" he sputtered, glancing at Fraxx. "The beast is… kneelin'! As if she tamed it with a look!"

Fraxx's eyes shone with triumph. "Ssssuperb. Mosssst ssssuperb," he whispered. "A Thaumaturge… with a ssspecial gift for bridging mindsss. Truly, Miss Mara, you are far more sssspecial than you or anyone else realized."

Mara's heart pounded. She slowly drew her hand back from the Tauron's muzzle, and it remained kneeling, breathing calmly now. Her entire body felt charged with strange, pulsing energy. She wasn't entirely certain how she had done that, only that the swirl of empathy and the faint thread of her mind's voice had meshed into something that tamed the raging beast.

She heard Fraxx step up behind her. "Borlor," the ratman said, a sly grin creeping across his whiskered face, "this changeesss everything. The Hopla girl may be the key to controlling these beasts… the key to our defenses."

Borlor let out a breathy laugh, almost disbelieving.

In front of them, the Tauron remained still, as if waiting for Mara's next command. She didn't speak—she didn't dare ruin the moment. Instead, she just let the hush of the cavern wash over her. Her eyes darted to Fraxx and Borlor, both wearing awed smiles that made her tiny Hopla heart flutter. All that talk of being useless and incapable… it felt so distant now.

They weren't calling her worthless anymore. They weren't calling her a teacher's pet or a crybaby, or thinking her magic was only good when Miss Fauna was around. In fact, she wasn't even thinking about them at all.

She sensed that life in Sanctum was on the brink of drastic changes. The hidden networks, the adamantium walls, Fraxx's poisons, Borlor's cunning engineering… and now her unusual power. All of it was coalescing into a single tapestry of preparation, weaving them together like an unstoppable force for the battles to come.

Borlor and Fraxx looked on, smiles stretching across their faces.

"We just found our missing piece of the puzzle, mate," Borlor chuckled. "If the Greys try to hit us here, they won't know what they'll be walking into."

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