Dungeon of Niflheim-Chapter 906: Not death but salvation (Volume 12)

Light and space warped creating a dizzying illusion, gravity twisted and turned, sometimes heavy, sometimes light but all physically unsettling to the organs, at least it would be for someone who wasn’t used to such stimulating movements. Thankfully however Frost wasn’t counted among this number, due to his frequent teleportation within the Dungeon and his more recent advances through the realm of Niflheim this shift across thousands of kilometres was actually rather pleasant, not to the same level as the bubble Dark used to transport his children but not too far off.

In less than ten seconds Frost and Kiba found themselves deposited before a vast mountain range with peaks that stretched far beyond the eye could see. Thick clouds of ice and snow, thundering with a vengeance so palpable that even someone with pathetic survival instincts would know to steer clear. Beyond such a boundary death would be your only companion.

Even within the external and inner regions it was well known that the skies were a danger all unto themselves, refusing to play by the usual rules of territory. It was for this exact reason that Kiba despite having a set of impressive wings that could not only carry himself but Frost as well swiftly through the sky was forbidden from rising higher than a few tens of metres off the ground.

Fwoosh!

As the portal closed they were assaulted by a fierce wind that was sharpened by the many valleys and ravines hidden throughout the mountains. The sudden shift in environment was so unexpected that Kiba’s wings billowed out, nearly knocking him off his feet. Frost was much better, merely taking a small step backwards before solidifying his position.

"That’s a good wind, sharp but nowhere near as cold Niflheim." Frost actually smiled in the face of the breeze, finding it strangely welcoming. Compared to Niflheim the temperature was several degrees higher and the density of ice element far less pure, it was no longer a strain on his body.

He looked towards his companion, he still wore that necklace around his neck, a gift from Yule that he received the moment they first entered Niflheim. A necessary piece of equipment that allowed Kiba to survive Niflheim’s environment, without it he would have frozen to death in minutes. Standard practise was to return the necklace upon departure but given Frost’s identity Shivali allowed him to keep it thus allowing Kiba to stay warm even in the face of this biting breeze.

Alongside that necklace however was something new, a silver and purple crown fashioned from a kind of crystal, beautiful and majestic, making the young tiger cub appear regal.

"Is that crown the gift you got from Maxim and Polina?" He asked before bringing out his brand new glaive and scanning their surroundings. While Niflheim was a place of safety the Glacial mountains were anything but, even this close to the external regions it wouldn’t be a surprise to come across a wandering B-rank monster.

"Garow. [Yeah it’s called the crown of nature.]" Kiba proudly answered after bracing himself against the wind. He was quite proud of his new piece of gear, finding it very fashionable and very much to his taste.

According to Maxim and Polina the crown of nature was a rare item that had two functions, the first being the activation of a defensive barrier that neutralised magic that was beyond the wearer’s capacity to endure, a function requiring time and mana to recharge between uses while the second was what truly made it special. As long as the crown of nature was worn by a beastlike monster it had the chance to passively improve their intelligence which would in turn increase their innate potential. Bestial monsters -bar the behemoths- usually had humanisation as one of their goals as being able to transform into a humanoid form improved their chances at achieving S-rank and beyond. Dragons, fenrirs and nine tailed foxes were perfect examples of this.

"Impressive, make sure you don’t lose it." Frost couldn’t think of a more ideal set of equipment for his partner, his claws and teeth already provided a strong offensive while his thick hide functioned as natural armour, he had little need for an additional weapon.

"Grrr! [I’m not a baby!]" Kiba took immediate offense, he wasn’t that irresponsible he knew how to take care of what was important.

"Alright let’s get moving, they shouldn’t be far" Frost appeased his partner with a couple head pats before jumping on his back and pulling out the soul orb, by injecting just a small tendril of mana it’d point him in the direction of Neve the leader of the Lunar maidens.

Dungeon core and Glacial winged tiger thus made their way into the mountain range, the dividing line between the external and inner regions making sure to keep their guards up with every step they took. Caves and crevasses were home to all manner of ambushing monsters after all.

The path was arduous, the terrain shifting and harsh, danger lurking every few hundred metres. Territories craved out by the indigenous monsters some of which didn’t particularly take kindly to being disturbed. With Frost doing his best to restrain his presence as much as possible he didn’t look any different from a standard weak elf in the eyes of these vicious predators. More than a few times he had to prove otherwise leaving a brutal trail of carnage in his wake. Minimum use of ignition or ice fire chakra to erase bodies, too much could draw more enemies to their location.

According to what Shivali had been told a rogue frost giant with a growing influence had been harassing Neve and her lunar maidens, forcing them to either capitulate to his rule or face eradication. Frost wanted to avoid running into this group at least until he managed to secure his targets, he was strong yes but not strong enough to face off against the frost giant’s coalition with just Kiba by his side. Ideally it’d be best if they could remain entirely undetected, less variables meant less chance of something going wrong.

’Haaaaaa if it was Khione she’d just waltz right in and kill them all before safely escorting the maidens out without a single threat to their lives.’ Frost once again bemoaned his paltry strength, desperately seeking to improve his own power.

The two continued to travel quietly across the mountains methodically following the direction that the soul orb pointed before eventually arriving before a large cave that easily descended hundreds of metres into the rock face. From the outside there was little sign of any inhabitants living within but on the ground right in front of the cave’s opening there was a distinct and massive handprint serving as a mark of territory.

Upon seeing this imprint Frost jumped from Kiba’s back and gave it closer inspection. From the size the being that left it was definitely a giant probably close to ten metres tall, there was a discreet scent of blood more than enough to deter common prey, but what made Frost frown was the residual aura that had been left.

"B-rank, either early or mid-stage." He uttered as a smile formed on his lips, his lust for battle growing. Such a foe was roughly equal to himself in strength, a worthy adversary, a glorious feast unto which he could gorge himself alas given his current objective this was anything but good news. A frost giant with this level of strength likely had numerous powerful lieutenants under his command, he may be able to win the battle of commanders but those under his charge likely wouldn’t fair all that well.

"Garow? [can you win?]" Kiba asked noticing the strange combination of a frown and smile in his master’s expression.

"What do you think?" He replied in a playful manner.

"Chuff [Right, right stupid question.]" Of course his master could win.

"Come, let’s go meet our new citizens." After giving one last bloodthirsty smile towards the territorial mark Frost walked into the cave with Kiba trailing close behind.

Deep within the depths of the cave a group of women were huddled together their eyes filled with gloom and despair before one of them quickly shot to her feet sensing something plucking at her soul. At the shock of her peers she turned around and faced the cave’s entrance. Believing this to be the early arrival of the one who had been plaguing them two of the woman, elders with clear injuries marring their bodies rose a moment later, dashing forward to protect the first woman. Their weapon of choice being some kind of metal fan.

The two elders didn’t have much longer to live, their injuries were dire, beyond the healing of the meagre provisions they had on hand....death was certain so as they stood in defiance to whomever was walking towards them there was an acceptance in their eyes as well as a growing flame that promised to take down as many of their enemies as they could before the reaper took his reward.

"Matriarch you and the others must escape, Shalla and I will do what we can to hold them off." The elder on the left summoned what remained of her strength, forcibly staunching the decay of her injury for one last bout of strength.

"Yana is right young mi...Matriarch please while we occupy the enemy run as fast and as far as you can. As long as the younger generation survive there will be hope for our race." The elder on the right could barely lift her right arm but still like her companion stood stalwart in front of the young woman, determined to sacrifice what little remained of her life to ensure the survival of those that stood behind.

A sombre and depressing atmosphere surrounded the young women still huddled together, several had tears in their eyes while others wanted to fight by their side, preferring to go out in a blaze of glory rather than foolishly attempt to flee. They’d all met the leader of the bandits outside even if they all attacked him at once their chances of wining were slim to none so how on Nova could they hope to flee.

As the two elders readied themselves for death and the young gritted their teeth and looked to their leader for an answer the woman in question revealed a bright smile, a smile that hadn’t graced her lips in quite some time.

"Shalla, Yana calm yourselves it is not death that has come for us but salvation."