Sanctuary: Safe Haven

The earth trembled as something massive approached, the vibrations growing stronger with each passing second. Ahmed tightened his grip on his daughter, his heart pounding in his chest. He had faced countless monsters in his time, but nothing compared to the sheer terror that gripped him now.

His worst fears were realized as a two-headed ogre emerged from the darkness of the forest, its hulking form towering over the trees. The creature was a mid-calamity rank, a boss of these woods, and it was staring directly at them.

Canna, however, seemed entirely unimpressed. He looked at the ogre with an expression of utter boredom, as though the massive beast was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. The ogre let out a deep, bone-chilling roar that echoed through the forest, its breath foul and hot. The roar was so powerful that it seemed to make the very air vibrate, sending a wave of terror through Ahmed's veins.

Ahmed's blood ran cold. He could feel the icy grip of fear tightening around his heart. This was it. They were too deep in the forest, too far from help. There was no way out. His grip on his daughter tightened as he closed his eyes, praying to every god he knew, hoping for a miracle.

He could feel her trembling in his arms, but when he opened his eyes to look at her, he saw something unexpected: defiance.

His daughter, despite the fear she must have been feeling, was glaring at the ogre with a look of determination. Her small frame was tense, but her eyes burned with a fire that Ahmed had never seen before. She wasn't ready to give up, not yet.

But when Ahmed looked at Canna, his blood turned cold once more—not from fear, but from confusion. The man who had just single-handedly defeated a low-calamity spider was standing there, looking at the massive ogre as if he were... sleepy? There was no sign of concern or fear, only a look of mild disinterest.

The ogre took a step forward, its massive footfall sending shockwaves through the ground. The trees shook, and the very earth seemed to groan under its weight. But then, something strange happened. The ogre stopped in its tracks. Its two heads turned to look down at the small group, its many eyes narrowing as it focused on Canna, Ahmed, and his daughter.

It wasn't the small, defiant girl that gave it pause, nor was it the bored-looking man in front. The true terror was something far more sinister—a figure standing behind the father and daughter, cloaked in dark robes, with a skull mask that seemed to radiate malevolence.

Mortem had arrived.

The figure stood tall and menacing, his presence sending a wave of dread through the air. The ogre's massive form trembled, and for the first time in its life, it knew fear. It was a primal, gut-wrenching fear that gripped the beast's hearts and refused to let go. Ahmed, still clutching his daughter, looked up at the ogre and saw something that made him doubt his own eyes: the ogre was sweating.

The massive creature, once so fearsome and confident, now quaked with fear. Ahmed had assumed it was Canna's strength that had cowed the beast, but as he looked back, he realized that it was Mortem's menacing presence that had driven the ogre to the edge of panic. Even though Ahmed had faced many powerful foes, he couldn't help but feel the oppressive aura emanating from Mortem.

But his mind was too overwhelmed with fear, relief, and confusion to fully comprehend it.

The ogre hesitated, its eyes darting between Canna and the terrifying figure behind him. It seemed to consider its options for a brief moment before it made a decision that stunned Ahmed to his core. The massive creature, easily three times the size of a man, turned on its heels and fled, its heavy footfalls shaking the earth as it bolted in the opposite direction, its club dragging behind it.

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Ahmed watched in disbelief as the once-terrifying ogre disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Relief washed over him, his legs nearly giving out as the tension drained from his body. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. The creature had run away—run away from them.

Canna, unfazed by the spectacle, turned back to Ahmed and his daughter, a lazy smile playing on his lips. Mortem, now back within Canna's shadow, disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. "About that Oogla Stone again," Canna said, his voice casual, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Ahmed couldn't take it anymore. The whirlwind of emotions—fear, relief, confusion—was too much. He felt his legs give out beneath him as his world spun, the overwhelming absurdity of the situation crashing down on him like a wave. He smiled like a lunatic, his mind reeling as darkness claimed him.

His daughter, exhausted from the ordeal and her earlier fight, slumped against him, her small form limp as she, too, succumbed to unconsciousness.

Canna stood alone in the clearing, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of spiderlings, their carcasses littering the ground. He let out a long, exaggerated sigh as he glanced at the two unconscious figures. "Mortem, find the nearest village," he said, his tone almost tired.

A shadow separated from Canna's own, forming into the familiar, ominous shape of Mortem. Without a word, Mortem nodded and disappeared into the forest, leaving Canna to deal with the aftermath.

Canna turned his attention to the remaining spiderlings, his blue eyes glowing with a soft, dangerous light. "Let's get this over with," he muttered. With a swift motion, he raised his hand, and the air around him crackled with energy. A moment later, he unleashed a chain lightning spell, the bolts of electricity arcing from one spider to another, incinerating them in a flash of blue light.

The air was filled with the scent of ozone and charred flesh as the last of the spiders fell, their bodies disintegrating into ash.

Satisfied that the area was clear, Canna began the less-than-glamorous task of collecting the mana cores from the fallen creatures. Each core pulsed with a faint glow, a valuable resource that he wasn't about to leave behind. Once he had gathered all he could find, he turned his attention back to the unconscious father and daughter.

Canna glanced down at them, considering for a moment. Then, with a shrug, he lifted them both, slinging one over each shoulder as if they weighed nothing more than sacks of potatoes.

The absurdity of the scene would have been comical to anyone watching—a powerful, mysterious figure in a pristine white robe, casually carrying two people through the forest as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

The journey back to the village was uneventful, the night silent now that the threats had been neutralized. As Canna approached the outskirts of the village, he could see the faint glow of torches and hear the distant murmur of voices. The villagers were on edge, no doubt having heard the commotion in the forest and fearing the worst.

As Canna entered the village, the few people who were awake at this hour stopped and stared, their eyes wide with shock and confusion. Here was a man they had never seen before, clad in strange, immaculate robes, carrying their chief and his daughter as if they were nothing more than bags of grain. Read the latest on empire

The first to react was the village healer, a frail-looking woman who rushed forward with surprising speed, her eyes filled with worry. "What happened? Are they… are they alright?" she asked, her voice trembling as she reached out to check on Ahmed.

"They're fine, just unconscious," Canna replied, his tone casual as he gently laid them down on a soft patch of grass near the healer's hut. "They've been through a bit, but they'll recover."

The healer nodded, her hands already moving to check for injuries. As she worked, the other villagers began to gather, their whispers filling the night air. Canna ignored the murmurs, his focus on the healer's work and the unconscious figures before him. He was used to the strange looks, the whispered questions. It didn't bother him in the slightest.

After a moment, the healer looked up at Canna, her expression one of gratitude and confusion. "Thank you… whoever you are," she said, her voice filled with sincerity. "You saved them."

Canna shrugged, as if it were nothing. "No need to thank me. Just doing what needed to be done."

The villagers continued to gather, their expressions a mix of awe and curiosity. Some of them whispered about the strange man in white, while others focused on Ahmed and his daughter, relieved to see that they were alive and in one piece. The tension that had gripped the village for days seemed to ease, replaced by a cautious hope that things might finally be looking up.

Canna, meanwhile, glanced around the village, his eyes taking in the simple homes, the flickering torchlight, the worried faces. It was a far cry from the chaos of the forest, but there was something comforting about the simplicity of it all. He let out a quiet sigh, turning his attention back to the healer.

"Once they wake up, let me know," Canna said, his tone still casual. "I still need to ask about that Oogla Stone."

The healer blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback by the request. "Oogla Stone? You're here for… a stone?"

Canna nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Yep. Been looking for it for a while now. Figured they might know something."

Before the healer could respond, the sound of someone stirring caught their attention. Ahmed, still groggy but slowly regaining consciousness, opened his eye and looked up at Canna, confusion evident on his face.

"Wha… what happened?" he muttered, his voice weak.

Canna crouched down beside him, offering a lazy smile. "You had a bit of a rough night. But don't worry, everything's under control. Now, about that Oogla Stone…"

Ahmed blinked up at him, still dazed and struggling to make sense of everything. His mind was a whirlwind of fragmented memories—spiders, the ogre, his daughter—and now this strange man who had saved them all with terrifying ease. As the pieces slowly fell into place, he felt a surge of gratitude, confusion, and disbelief.

But before Ahmed could respond, the ground trembled again, a faint but unmistakable vibration that sent a shiver down his spine. Canna's eyes narrowed slightly as he stood up, his casual demeanor giving way to something more focused.

"Looks like there's more fun to be had," Canna said, his voice tinged with anticipation. He glanced down at Ahmed, offering him a hand to help him up. "You might want to sit this one out."

Ahmed took Canna's hand, his grip still weak but grateful. As he stood, he could feel the tremors growing stronger, the ground beneath them beginning to shake once more. His daughter stirred beside him, slowly waking up as well, her eyes fluttering open as she looked around in confusion.

Canna's gaze turned to the forest, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Let's see what comes next," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. And as the ground continued to shake, the villagers watched in tense silence, knowing that something else was about to emerge from the shadows.