[Floor 14: Protect the village.]
The prompt hung in the air as Rivyn surveyed his surroundings. In the distance, a small village came into view—a cluster of humble homes with straw-thatched roofs, surrounded by wooden fences barely strong enough to keep out common wildlife, let alone the oncoming threat. He had seen villages like this before in the lower floors, but this time, there was a sense of vulnerability that hadn't been present on previous floors. Perhaps it was the emptiness, or the strange quiet that seemed to settle over the village, but it felt almost as if the place had been abandoned.
But Rivyn knew better. His senses heightened as he noticed a figure hobbling toward him from one of the small houses. It was an old man, bent under the weight of age, his face lined with years of labor and worry. Despite his frail form, he carried a certain air of resilience, as though he'd weathered countless storms in this isolated settlement.
