Sanctuary: Safe Haven

As he grew older, Grimruk\'s prowess in battle became legendary. He fought in countless skirmishes, earning a fearsome reputation. But it wasn\'t just brute strength that set him apart; it was his strategic mind and relentless determination. He studied his opponents, learning their weaknesses and exploiting them with ruthless efficiency.

Grimruk\'s tribe soon found itself at the center of a power struggle between several factions. The elders, recognizing his potential, appointed him as the tribe\'s champion. It was a role he embraced wholeheartedly, leading his people to numerous victories and securing their dominance in the region. His feats became the stuff of legend, stories of his battles spreading far and wide.

However, the wastelands were not without their challenges. One fateful day, Grimruk\'s tribe encountered a group of humans. This, in itself, wasn\'t rare, but the problem was that these humans possessed strength far beyond what his tribe could handle. Although black orcs are the strongest of the orc species, they lack in numbers, and the already harsh environment added to their struggle.

The humans came in waves, and Grimruk had to make a decision. He chose to stall the humans and give his tribe a chance to escape. In the end, Grimruk was subdued but not killed. When he woke up, he found a collar around his neck. Despite his defeat in combat, he was still proud knowing that his tribe had managed to get out of harm\'s way.

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Grimruk\'s days as a slave were a far cry from his life as a warrior in the wastelands. Bound by a powerful collar, he was forced into servitude for the very humans he had fought against. The conditions were brutal; he was treated as nothing more than a beast of burden, toiling under the lash of Boran\'s commands.

Each day was a test of endurance, but Grimruk bore the indignity with a simmering rage, biding his time for an opportunity to reclaim his freedom.

Despite the harsh treatment, Grimruk never lost his warrior\'s spirit. He observed the humans closely, noting their routines, weaknesses, and the way they wielded their power. His strategic mind, honed in countless battles, never ceased its calculations. He knew that brute strength alone would not be enough to break free; he needed patience and cunning.

His chance came when he was taken to a dungeon. The purpose of this journey was never made clear to him, but Grimruk sensed that it was no ordinary dungeon. The aura of danger was palpable, and the human overseers seemed unusually tense. For days, Grimruk was kept in the depths of this dungeon, watched over by Boran\'s group who seemed just as wary of the dungeon as they were of him.

Then it happened—the dungeon outbreak. Grimruk had to fend off low-level calamity monsters, and at the end of it, he faced a great-calamity rank monster. Just when he thought it would be the end, he woke up again in an unknown place.

When he next awoke, it was to the sight of Vorgrim, a formidable warrior with a presence that commanded respect. Vorgrim\'s demeanor was calm but intense, and the air around him crackled with latent power. Something primal stirred within Grimruk as he looked upon this new opponent.

It wasn\'t just the desire for freedom or revenge that drove him; it was a deep, instinctual need to test himself against a worthy adversary.

Despite their grueling battle, Grimruk found himself driven not just by anger but by a deep respect for his opponent. Vorgrim was a warrior in every sense of the word, and facing him in combat was the ultimate test of Grimruk\'s strength and resolve.

In his last moments, Grimruk died happy knowing he would die free and at the hands of an even stronger warrior. In his next life, he would strive to become even stronger. Thoughts of his tribe crossed his mind, but it was too late now. He had done his part, and he could finally get a well-deserved rest.

That was the expected outcome, but for some reason, Grimruk woke again to find himself facing a man with white hair.

His face twisted with confusion. He should have perished already; he had felt it when Vorgrim\'s blade severed his head. Fortunately, the man before him now offered an explanation.

"Take your time. It was quite a hassle to break the binding magic that held you. To set you free, you had to experience death. But rest assured, Tonitrum ensured everything would return to its previous state. Whenever you\'re ready to talk, come find me. Oh, and I\'m Canna," he added, before turning to Kael, who looked on with wide-eyed astonishment.

Walking closely behind Canna, Vorgrim gazed at Grimruk and remarked, "Impressive battle, orc. When you\'re ready, we should train."

Before their battle commenced, Canna consulted Tonitrum about removing Grimruk\'s binding.

Tonitrum concluded that Grimruk needed to die; slave magic was a complicated type of magic involving binding a soul to an individual, where a single misstep could obliterate the soul entirely. Tonitrum\'s strategy involved retrieving Grimruk\'s soul immediately after his death and forcibly reattaching it to his body.

There were strict conditions: Tonitrum had a mere three-second window to retrieve the soul, heal Grimruk\'s body to ensure it was a suitable vessel again, and seamlessly reintegrate the soul.

This was Tonitrum\'s first attempt at revival, with a high risk of failure. Despite the odds, they managed to bring Grimruk back to life.