Sanctuary: Safe Haven

Kaida always knew from the beginning that their leader, Canna, was strong. Though he was only mid-transcendent, Canna had consistently demonstrated the ability to battle and even surpass opponents ranked much higher than himself. Now, watching him face off against the leader of the wyverns—a great-calamity ranked beast—Kaida was in awe. Canna, in his dragonkin form, was toying with the powerful creature, unleashing bursts of lightning that illuminated the sky, sending thunderous roars crashing through the air.

The battle was intense. The wyvern leader screeched and spat breaths of ice, freezing the area with each attack. The air became sharp and cold, the ground beneath them quickly transforming into an icy battlefield. The wyvern flapped its mighty wings, sending freezing gales toward Canna, its eyes narrowed in fury. But Canna, undeterred, laughed through the storm, his voice filled with amusement. Lightning danced along his arms as he flicked his hand, sending arcs of energy that crackled in the sky before crashing into the wyvern's scales, slowly wearing it down.

Dravos stood below, watching the duel in awe. "He's playing with that thing," he muttered. Despite Canna's nonchalant attitude, the wyvern leader was still a massive and dangerous beast. But Canna's superiority was undeniable. Dravos could feel it in the air—Canna's control over the battle was absolute.

Kaida, meanwhile, couldn't contain her admiration. "Canna-sama is amazing!" she whispered, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Her loyalty and belief in him only strengthened as she watched the fight unfold. Every move Canna made, every strike of his lightning, further cemented her faith in his abilities. "He's holding back... imagine what he could do if he unleashed everything."

The battle raged on, and Canna continued to unleash torrents of lightning upon the wyvern leader. The wyvern retaliated with another breath of icy wind, its frost powers spreading across the sky, freezing the air in shimmering crystals. Massive lances of ice formed, aimed directly at Canna. But he effortlessly dodged each attack, zapping through the sky like a lightning bolt. From time to time, he'd let out a burst of laughter, clearly enjoying the challenge of fighting such a powerful opponent.

As the battle drew on, it became clear that the wyvern was starting to slow down. Its ice breaths were no longer as sharp or powerful as before, and the flapping of its mighty wings was losing speed. Canna noticed the change and smirked. "Getting tired, huh?"

The great-calamity beast let out a weak roar in response, its once-fierce eyes now dulled with exhaustion. Canna summoned one last surge of lightning, this one larger and more intense than any of the bolts he had used before. The sky crackled with energy as Canna called down a massive strike that hit the wyvern dead center, the bolt of lightning slamming into its chest with earth-shattering force.

The wyvern screeched in pain, its body convulsing as the lightning surged through it. It lost control of its flight and plummeted toward the ground, crashing into the earth with a loud, bone-rattling thud that sent dust and ice flying everywhere. Canna descended, landing gracefully next to the downed wyvern, his eyes gleaming with interest.

"You're interesting," Canna said, approaching the fallen creature. "The dwarves said you were a mutation. I believe it." He crouched down, placing a hand on the wyvern's frost-covered scales. The creature was still breathing heavily, struggling to move. "Serve me, wyvern."

Canna's hand began to glow with a soft light as he activated his class ability: Beast Covenant. The air around him hummed with magic as the power of the covenant took hold. The wyvern's resistance melted away, and its fierce eyes dimmed with submission. It let out a low rumble, bowing its head as it accepted its fate. Canna had tamed the great beast.

At that moment, Canna summoned Mortem, his ever-loyal undead companion. The shadowy figure appeared beside him, his gaze falling on the fallen wyvern. "Heal him," Canna commanded.

Without a word, Mortem extended his hand, dark energy swirling around his fingertips. He pressed his hand to the wyvern's side, and the beast's wounds began to mend. The bruises and burns left by Canna's lightning attacks faded away as Mortem's magic worked its way through the wyvern's body. The other wyverns, still circling in the sky, watched with narrowed eyes, their roars now silent as they observed the submission of their leader.

After a few minutes, the wyvern leader stood up once again, still battered but healed enough to move. It shook its wings, then gave a respectful bow to Canna, lowering its head to the ground as a sign of loyalty. The other wyverns let out a collective roar in response, acknowledging their leader's submission.

Canna smiled and spoke through his connection with Flora. "I've got incoming wyverns through the portal. I made their leader submit, so don't attack."

Flora's voice echoed in his mind. "Understood, Master. I'll inform the guardians right away."

Canna turned back to the wyvern leader. "Since you've got some interesting ice powers, I'll name you Tushar," he said with a grin. "Now, wrangle up your kin and enter the sanctuary. Continue your healing from there."

Tushar nodded, emitting a low growl of acknowledgment. Though the effects of Canna's lightning were still lingering in his body, the wyvern was now part of Canna's covenant, bound to follow his every command.

Dravos and Kaida approached cautiously, still in awe of what they had witnessed. Dravos, looking slightly conflicted, spoke up. "I thought we were going to kill them. I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring them into the sanctuary after they've killed so many dwarves."

Canna shrugged, looking at Dravos with a calm expression. "That's all water under the bridge now, Dravos. Tushar is one of my tamed beasts, and he'll follow all of my orders. At first, I did plan on killing him, but he's interesting. This is the first time I've seen a wyvern, so I guess he got lucky."

Before Dravos could respond, a red portal opened up behind them. Tushar let out a commanding roar, calling to the other wyverns. One by one, the smaller wyverns began flying toward the portal, entering it without hesitation.
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Canna turned to Kaida. "Kaida, I'll leave it to you. Once all the dwarves are in the sanctuary, you and the other shock troops enter as well. I still have something I need to do."

Kaida kneeled, bowing her head respectfully. "As you wish, Canna-sama."

With that, Canna had not only secured the loyalty of the dwarves but also added a powerful new force of wyverns to his sanctuary.